The political wrangling this week over the next Covid-19 related stimulus bill in the US encapsulates all the dysfunction that has become endemic to American politics, and particularly the Republican party, during the Trump administration. Republicans, who aim to put forward their own relief proposals in the next few days (Democrats did so two months ago), cannot agree among themselves on what is needed to help stabilise the US economy. After a brief rebound, the economy looks to be heading downwards once again thanks to a resurgence of Covid-19 cases that Donald Trump has conceded will “ get worse before it gets better”.
They are also fighting with the president, who has demanded a contentious payroll tax cut as the price of approval for a new bill. Even if Republicans had a coherent and unified strategy, there would probably be a gap of between $1tn and $2tn in what they would like to spend on the next round of relief, versus the $3tn the Democrats want.
The gaping partisan hole that Americans have come to expect from Washington in recent years is accompanied this time around with an especially painful reality. If Congress cannot agree on a new spending plan in a timely way, the enhanced unemployment benefits that came with the last round of federal stimulus will expire by the end of July, leaving 20m unemployed people at risk of everything from mortgage default, to eviction, to food insecurity.