House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that lawmakers negotiating the coronavirus relief bill still have time to reach a deal, suggesting members could say in session until after Christmas.
Members of leadership are still considering attaching coronavirus relief to the end-of-year comprehensive government funding package they’re still finalizing, which needs to be passed by Dec. 18.
“If we need more time, then we take more time. But we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it,” said Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat. “I would hope that it would honor the Dec. 18 deadline … but we’ve been here after Christmas [before], you know.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have been working to turn their $908 billion relief proposal into a bill this week and iron out key policy differences on the toughest of sticking points — namely the partisan trade-off on state and local government funding and liability protections.
A summary of that package showed other benefits including a 16-week extension of unemployment benefits in December, $300-a-week enhanced unemployment payments, and $300 billion for another round of Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses. However, it does not contain any form of direct payments.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders are pushing a $916 billion offer from the Trump administration that would include funding for state and local governments, liability protections, a round of $600 direct payments, but cuts to unemployment benefits.
“I think when you look at the plan that the president put forward, it’s actually more money and more strategically helpful,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, told reporters.
As lawmakers in the bipartisan group continue to work on negotiations, House members are heading home until at least Tuesday. The Senate is staying in session until at least Friday, with votes on the National Defense Authorization Act still on their to-do list for the week.
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