December 18, 2020

Congress bought itself two more days to negotiate a coronavirus package on Friday evening even as lawmakers stumbled in their efforts to seal the deal on a $900 billion relief agreement.

Still, the day did not turn into the total debacle it once seemed. The House overwhelmingly approved the 48-hour stopgap spending bill to avoid a shutdown, and Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) relented on threats to shut the government down in their bid for larger stimulus checks than the $600 under consideration.

While Sanders threatened to object to the stopgap funding bill, he allowed it to go through by citing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s promise to keep the Senate in session until a Covid deal is reached. The Senate will reconvene on Saturday morning as congressional leaders try to break the stubborn impasses on the Federal Reserve’s lending programs, rescue for entertainment venues and disaster relief funding.

Read more:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/18/congress-stimulus-talks-funding-448089