*Republicans and Democrats are nearing a deal on a $900 billion relief package, according to the Washington Post. It would mark a breakthrough with a last-minute spate of negotiations between top congressional leaders.
Negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy gathered momentum on Tuesday as the quartet met twice on Tuesday in Pelosi’s office.
The package, reports the Post, citing a source familiar with the negotiations, would include $600 checks. Unfortunately for states and local governments, the deal would likely exclude any financial assistance and for businesses, no liability shield to insulate them from virus-related lawsuits.
Here’s more via Business insider:
McConnell struck an optimistic tone on the state of negotiations on Tuesday evening. “We’re making significant progress and I’m optimistic that we’re gonna be able to complete an understanding sometime soon,” McConnell told reporters on Capitol Hill.
A group of bipartisan lawmakers attempted to end the logjam over a new federal rescue package by introducing two separate bills on Monday. One contained $748 billion in funding with provisions that most lawmakers support, and the other included the divisive issues over liability shield for businesses and emergency state funding.
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a leader of the bipartisan group, told Business Insider the $748 billion package would form a blueprint for a final deal on Wednesday afternoon.
“The Leader said today that it will be the spirit of what is put together by the four corners, so I expect you’ll see major elements of that in the final package,” he said in a brief interview on Capitol Hill, referring to McConnell and the three other Congressional leaders.
The site went on to state that lawmakers have until midnight on Friday to pass spending legislation or many parts of the federal government would start to shut down. Congressional leaders aim to merge the pandemic relief plan to the omnibus government funding bill, which would fund federal agencies into September of next year.
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