WASHINGTON—Lawmakers raced to put finishing touches on a roughly $900 billion coronavirus aid package, pushing up against a midnight deadline to complete the agreement and pass it through Congress.
With a disagreement on the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending powers settled earlier in the weekend, negotiators on Sunday were finalizing details for the rest of the bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said Sunday afternoon that negotiators were hours away from completing the deal.
“We are winnowing down the remaining differences,” he said from the Senate floor. “I believe I can speak for all sides when I say that I hope and expect to have a final agreement nailed down in a matter of hours.”
The emerging agreement is expected to provide $300 a week in enhanced federal unemployment benefits, a $600 direct check to many Americans, as well as aid for schools, vaccine distribution and small businesses. Final votes in the House and Senate could occur as early as Sunday.
Party leaders are pairing the relief measures with a roughly $1.4 trillion annual spending package, squeezing lawmakers to quickly write and approve the bill before government funding expires at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
