Maine leaders urge Congress to end gridlock on COVID-19 relief package

Democratic leaders and White House officials met Friday for the 10th time in 12 days, but those talks broke down again as the two sides remained hundreds of billions of dollars apart on issues including aid to state and local governments. More than 30 million Americans, including roughly 80,000 Mainers, are about to miss their second enhanced jobless benefits check.

“Only the federal government has the borrowing power and other fiscal tools to respond adequately to this crisis and get states like Maine on track for a full recovery,” said Sarah Austin, a tax and budget analyst with the progressive Maine Center for Economic Policy.

Click here to read the full story, first published August 7, 2020, in the Portland Press Herald.