Is the stalemate over a second pandemic relief bill any closer to a resolution this week? The chatter in the mainstream media feels like it’s dying down a bit, but that’s most likely because of the convention coverage eating up their screen time. But in the background, the issue is still on the minds of many members of Congress. Now, a group of Democrats has sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to take up a more limited relief bill focusing primarily on the lapsed federal unemployment benefits enhancements. Most of them probably didn’t even need to look at the latest round of polling to know that there are a lot of unhappy people out there who remain out of work because of the plague, and losing those enhanced benefits is having a big impact on them. The question in front of them is whether or not the Speaker can be convinced to stop letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. (CNBC)

In a letter dated Tuesday, the lawmakers urged the California Democrat and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to take up legislation that would reinstate the lapsed $600 per week jobless benefit until the coronavirus public health emergency ends, then phase it out as state unemployment rates fall.

The House, which left Washington for its August recess before Congress could pass a pandemic aid package, will return on Saturday to vote on a bill that would fund the U.S. Postal Service and reverse changes Democrats worry will make it harder for Americans to vote by mail in November.

“We owe it to people waiting to get back to work across the country not only to extend unemployment benefits to help them pay their bills, but to tie these benefits to economic conditions so workers are not held hostage by another cliff like this one,” Democratic Reps. Scott Peters of California, Don Beyer of Virginia and Derek Kilmer of Washington wrote in the letter shared with CNBC.

This may sound like good news for all of the unemployed workers out there who are hoping to claw back at least some of the federal enhancements to their benefits for a longer period of time, but plenty of questions surround this letter. First of all, there aren’t a lot of signatures on it. It’s unclear how many more Democrats would be willing to sign if given the opportunity. Pelosi tends to keep a fairly tight leash on her caucus and is well known for having a long memory in terms of people who cross her or question her leadership.

Even if we assume there’s strong Democratic support for this proposal, we’re still not sure if there will even be a quorum of members in town on Saturday. The whole reason they were being called back was to vote on a bill that would block certain procedural changes being implemented at the Post Office. But now the Postmaster General has announced that those changes are on hold until after the election. That measure was probably dead in the water in the Senate and Trump wouldn’t have signed it anyway, but with the USPS changes on hold, the vote looks even more pointless. Will they bother showing up and offering the opportunity to vote on the unemployment benefits?

Next, let’s say that they do have everyone assembled. Nancy Pelosi was given no less than four options from the Republicans to pass a scaled-back version of the unemployment benefits package. She turned every option down, insisting on the full six hundred dollars per week through the end of the year or the end of the pandemic. What makes her think that Cocaine Mitch and his caucus are suddenly going to turn around and go for that? In other words, would she settle for three or four hundred dollars per week and/or a shorter duration agreement, or is it still My Way or the Highway? If the latter, this would again be little more than a ceremonial vote.

If the Speaker is banking on the public being willing to blame the GOP for the enhanced benefits coming to an end, she may be in for some serious disappointment. It’s now well-known that the House had the opportunity to pass a compromise that the Senate would accept. The fact that those enhanced payments came to an end rests squarely on the House Democrats’ collective shoulders. Perhaps Pelosi should recognize a life preserver when it lands in the water next to her.