Republican and Democratic leaders in the US Congress on Sunday said they were close to finalizing a $900 billion package to provide the first new aid in months to an economy hammered by the pandemic, but it remained unclear when they would vote to seal the deal.
Their remarks followed late-night negotiations in which senators from both parties struck a compromise to clear one of the final hurdles, a dispute over Federal Reserve pandemic lending authority.
The package would be the second-largest economic stimulus in US history, following a $2.3 trillion aid bill passed in March. The deal comes as the pandemic accelerates, infecting more than 214,000 people in the country each day. More than 317 000 Americans have already died.
The package would give $600 direct payments to individuals, boost unemployment payments by $300 per week, and give hundreds of billions of dollars in additional aid to small businesses. It also would provide $25 billion for rental assistance, sources said.
Congress aims to include the coronavirus aid package in a $1.4 trillion spending bill funding government programs through September 2021.
One senior Senate Republican said there may not be enough time to pass the measures before government funding expires at midnight (0500 GMT Monday), which means lawmakers would have to pass another temporary extension to keep the government operating.
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the chamber’s top Democrat, told reporters on Sunday she wanted to give members some time to review the package before calling a vote.
Her counterpart, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, told reporters: “I think we are really, really close.”
The bill leaves out two of the most controversial elements in the negotiations: legal protections for businesses from coronavirus lawsuits, which had been sought by Republicans, and the substantial aid for state and local governments advocated by Democrats.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Congress would take up further relief next year. “This bill will not be the final word on congressional COVID relief,” he said on the Senate floor.
