Congressional leaders including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met multiple times on Tuesday to negotiate a coronavirus relief deal.
Photo: Lenin Nolly/Zuma Press
WASHINGTON—Congressional leaders were closing in on a coronavirus relief deal Wednesday expected to include another round of direct payments to households feeling the pain of the pandemic’s battering of the global economy, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
The package under discussion was expected to exclude the two thorniest issues: funding for state and local governments and liability protections for businesses and other entities operating during the pandemic, according to people familiar with the talks. But congressional leaders were discussing adding a second round of direct checks, potentially of a smaller size than the initial round of checks, which directed $1,200 to individuals and $500 per dependent.
Congressional aides noted that the negotiations were ongoing and no final agreement had been reached.
Wrangling Relief
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) met multiple times on Tuesday, talking late into the night, and were expected to continue their negotiations Wednesday.
“We’re making significant progress and I’m optimistic that we’re gonna be able to complete an understanding sometime soon,” Mr. McConnell said Tuesday night.
“We’re exchanging paper and ideas back and forth, making progress and hopefully we can come to an agreement soon,” Mr. Schumer said.
Congressional leaders have said they plan to attach a coronavirus relief package to a spending bill needed to keep the government running when its current funding expires at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. That gives leaders only a few days to finalize the aid package and spending bill and approve them in both chambers. Lawmakers and aides said they were making good progress finalizing the full-year spending bill.
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