WASHINGTON 鈥 Chalk it up as another failure in the face of catastrophe.
Congressional leaders and White House negotiators were once again unable to come to terms Friday on a new COVID-19 relief package to help Americans blunt the pain from a sputtering economy marked by of unemployment in the face of a deadly virus.
In Hawaii, the situation is especially dire as the state once again implements travel restrictions in response to the increased community spread of the coronavirus while tens of thousands of island residents remain out of work, many of them while still waiting to receive their unemployment checks.
鈥淭he stated disengagement from negotiations is of course terrible news for the country and for Hawaii regardless of what party you鈥檙e in or what situation you鈥檙e in,鈥 said U.S. Rep. Ed Case, a Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly obvious that a major stimulus package is critical to the country now so I鈥檓 deeply disappointed by the inability of the negotiations to conclude with a consensus package.鈥
A $2 trillion stimulus passed by Congress in March provided billions of dollars to states and local governments as well as additional unemployment benefits and moratoriums on evictions.
But many of those benefits expired at the end of July as partisan disagreements over what a new spending plan should look like led to stalemates between Democrats, who proposed a $3 trillion plan in May, and Republicans, who want something much smaller.
Case said both sides have found some areas of tentative agreement, but are still far apart on some issues, such as whether to provide more money to state, local and tribal governments.
There鈥檚 also disagreement between the parties on that provided $600 a week in additional unemployment income. That plus-up expired on July 31 and Democrats would prefer to see it come back at the same level while Republicans have said they prefer the amount be closer to $200.
鈥淭his is a very, very intense negotiation that is being carried out in the heat of a critical presidential election and critical elections to determine the governing majorities of both the Senate and the House,鈥 Case said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 about as difficult a negotiation as you鈥檙e going to have. Both sides are negotiating publicly and privately, and I think it鈥檚 very unfortunate that the public gets yanked and pulled all over the place emotionally when millions and tens of millions of folks across the country are in direct immediate need.鈥
Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono Thursday to lay the blame squarely at the feet of President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans, who she criticized for ignoring the plight of the nation鈥檚 essential workers who face the threat of contracting COVID-19 every day while they try to make ends meet.
She noted that a number of Honolulu bus drivers have contracted the virus, and relayed the story of one in particular who was spat on by a passenger who refused to abide by social distancing requirements.
Flight attendants, nannies and firefighters are also on the front lines, she said, competing with people who refuse to wear masks and the ever present danger of bringing a deadly virus into their homes.
鈥淪omething as simple as showing up to work every day shouldn’t be an act of bravery, but that鈥檚 exactly what we鈥檙e expecting from our essential workers every day,鈥 Hirono said. 鈥淚f they can show up and do their job, Congress should certainly step up and do our job.鈥
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Nick Grube is a reporter for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at nick@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at . You can also reach him by phone at 808-377-0246.