Special Interests Mobilize to Get Piece of Next Virus Relief Package

Special Interests Mobilize to Get Piece of Next Virus Relief Package

Congress is about to start negotiating in earnest over another round of stimulus, and a frenzy of lobbying is already underway.

With the pandemic limiting face-to-face meetings, lobbyists are turning to more innovative tactics to reach lawmakers with special-interest pleas.Credit...Al Drago for The New York Times

July 19, 2020Updated 5:03 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON “” Airlines, hotels and restaurants. Military contractors and banks. Even Broadway actors. These are just a few of the special interests already maneuvering to get a piece of the next coronavirus relief package about to be taken up by Congress.

The House has already signaled that it wants $3 trillion in aid, the Senate appears to want something in the range of $1 trillion, and the White House is now involved in negotiations. The main components on the table for debate are additional payments to individuals, money for state and local governments, extended unemployment insurance and liability protections for companies and other institutions that are trying to reopen.

But the package is also likely to be the last opportunity before the election in November for a wide range of industries and interests to push for narrower provisions that would benefit them, setting off intensive lobbying.

The process is still at an early stage,