The House of Representatives and the Senate, with little debate and just hours before government funding runs out, gave party leaders more time to try to implement a bipartisan coronavirus aid bill that would go up and a major spending policy.
The U.S. Congress on Friday passed and sent to President Donald Trump a two-day extension of available government funds to avoid a midnight government shutdown, as negotiators work on a $ 900 billion coronavirus aid bill and $ 1.4 trillion spending in September 2021.
The House of Representatives and the Senate, with little debate and just hours before government funding runs out, gave party leaders more time to try to implement a bipartisan coronavirus aid bill that would go up and a major spending policy.
“I believe all parties feel that we are making good progress in a major bill that will go with the annual budget,” said Republican Senate Mitch McConnell, shortly before the interim budget was passed.
Assuming Trump approves the resignation process, lawmakers will try to strike Sunday midnight, which comes almost two years after an unresolved spending war that led to a 35-day government shutdown, the longest in history.
After months of pointing fingers and doing nothing, Republicans and Democrats have been negotiating hard on what is expected to be the largest package since spring to provide assistance to a country fighting an epidemic that kills more than 3,000 people a day.
With the support of Trump, who is stepping down on January 20, and Democratic Alliance President Joe Biden have reported progress.
But enough differences remain – including controversy over the Republican-backed plan to repatriate Federal Reserve lending programs aimed at curbing the economic crisis – that talks appear to be slowing down over the weekend.
Some Republicans accuse Democrats of using the money lending authorities as a backdrop to provide assistance to local and local governments that the Republicans use as a “fund” of local Democratic-controlled local governments.
Other adherence points include disagreement on the level of freedom of closed spaces are Covid-19 restrictions and the argument that funding should be increased from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to local governments for things like school safety equipment.
Many issues have been resolved. Coronavirus law is expected to include checks for most Americans for about $ 600 each, increased unemployment benefits of $ 300 per week, assistance with regional vaccines distributing the vaccine, and assistance to small businesses fighting the epidemic.
Congress leaders plan to attach Covid-19 aid to the $ 1.4 trillion spending fund.
‘OUT OF TIME’
McConnell said the Senate would convene a meeting over the weekend if necessary to reach an agreement.
The prospect of a government closure increases the pressure to come up with a plan to help. A long ban could force thousands of people out of work and disrupt services as the country increases the distribution of coronavirus vaccines, although the results will not be fully heard over the weekend.
“We have a government of two million people waiting every hour to see if they will work,” Hoyer told reporters.
Congress was encouraged to take action on the alarming increase in hospitalization and death. The death toll from the American coronavirus, now numbering more than 311,000, is the highest in the world and many Americans – who do not receive automatic government assistance in many other nations – are at risk of homelessness or inability to feed their families.
Biden said he wanted Covid-19 relief for the American people passed now, promising to do more after he was sworn in.
The Republicans are also looking into the possibility of a run-off election on January 5 in Georgia, which will determine whether their party can control the Senate in the next two years or hand it over to Democrats.
Democrats say Republican Senator Pat Toomey is promoting his plan to revitalize the Fed’s emergency financial services in an effort to make it more difficult for Biden’s incoming governors to deal with the Covid-19 crisis.
Toomey denied the allegations, saying the lending authorities were running out of time anyway.
Larry Kudlow, Trump’s National Economic Council director, told reporters at the White House that Trump’s administration “strongly supports” Toomey’s plan.
Brian Deese, who was nominated by Biden to replace Kudlow, said the aid bill should not include Toomey’s offer.