Negotiators near agreement on long-delayed COVID-19 aid bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top congressional leaders appear closer to an agreement on a long-delayed COVID-19 relief package, hoping to seal an agreement as early as Wednesday that would extend aid to individuals and businesses and help ship coronavirus vaccines to millions.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a coauthor of a $908 billion bipartisan package, said leadership negotiators are closing in on an agreement that would extend direct payments of $500-$600 to most Americans but would deny Democratic negotiators long-sought aid to state and local governments. Manchin credited his bipartisan group with facilitating the breakthrough.
“I think they’re basically now putting it all together," Manchin said on CNN. “We were able to break the gridlock.”
Added a Senate leadership aide: “Today is likely the day they reach an agreement.” The aide requested anonymity to characterize the rapidly moving talks. Other aides following the talks offered more cautious assessments. The emerging package is serving as a magnet for add-ons and the two sides continue to swap offers.
It is also apparent that another temporary spending bill will be needed to prevent a government shutdown at midnight on Friday. That is likely to pass by voice votes before Friday but House lawmakers will have to be summoned to Washington to vote on the emerging package, which would combine about $900 billion in COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion governmentwide funding bill and a host of other remaining congressional business.
Negotiations on COVID-19 relief intensified on Tuesday after months of futility. The top Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress met twice in hopes of finally cementing a leadership agreement that would revive subsidies for businesses hit hard by the pandemic, help distribute new coronavirus vaccines, fund schools and renew...
