The White House has reentered negotiations over a new stimulus package by proposing a different plan than the one currently being considered by lawmakers, reported Bloomberg. The $916 billion package is different in several key respects. First, it adds direct payments, something that was a headline part of the CARES Act but is currently lacking in the plan under consideration. Second, it dispenses with the $300 supplementary unemployment aid under the bipartisan plan, which itself was half of what people got under the CARES Act, and replaces it with nothing. Third, it ties together a liability shield for employers and further aid to state and local governments, both key sticking points in negotiations, meaning that the measures either fail together or pass together.

Another difference is that this one has the support of Republican leadership in Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who had been pushing for his own $500 billion plan, and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). While the measure currently under consideration by legislators has bipartisan support, it has come mostly from Republicans such as Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who are not in party leadership positions.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that the new proposal represents some progress, but they also said that the lack of additional unemployment payment is unacceptable and essentially dooms the package. McConnell seized on the remarks as proof that the Democrats are not willing to compromise.

The spending package proper could theoretically be added to the spending bill vote, which is coming up soon. It remains unknown whether this timeline will hold any better than the timeline set before the general election.