Grassley Says He'll Push for Tariff Holiday on PPE
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said a bill that would eliminate all tariffs on personal protective equipment could be added to a spending bill, tax extenders, or another coronavirus relief bill, if there is one during the lame duck session. He said he would argue that Sen. Pat Toomey's bill (see 2010060044) should ride along on one of those bills.
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Grassley, who was speaking to reporters Oct. 7, also said he agreed with the president's decision to stop seeking a compromise on a relief bill with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He said she would not agree to only move the elements of the bill Republicans and Democrats agreed on, such as another round of paycheck protection payments and direct payments to citizens and legal residents.
He said that Pelosi, D-Calif., would not agree on a package smaller than $2.2 trillion, and he said that even if the president agreed to $1.6 trillion, and the House went with it, “I believe it would be difficult to get my vote.” He said it is “ridiculous” to spend that much when there are still billions unspent from the last round of relief.
The Chamber of Commerce, the American Apparel and Footwear Association, and others reacted with alarm to the administration's decision to walk away. “The pandemic isn’t over and neither is the economic crisis it has created,” said National Retail Federation CEO Matthew Shay. “There are many families still struggling to make ends meet and businesses facing obstacles to putting workers back on the payroll. We need a vaccine to ensure our personal health. And we need further stimulus to ensure we can fix an ailing economy, bring people back to work and spur growth in communities large and small.”
AAFA CEO Steve Lamar said, “The economy is not something that can be put on hold until a time that might be more convenient. People are suffering today. Now is the time to deploy all the tools in our toolbox -- both to attack the underlying health crisis and to provide crucial liquidity and credit relief for manufacturers, brands, retailers, and the workers they support. We urge all parties to stay at the negotiating table to craft and pass a comprehensive COVID relief package now.”