Republican deficit hawks come off endangered species list

A rare bird thought to be headed toward extinction has been spotted in Washington: the deficit hawk.

Fiscal conservatives are balking at the price tag of the latest coronavirus economic rescue package, likely to exceed $1 trillion even if they get their way. Though only one of the sticking points that has held up the legislation, it exposes a debate within the Republican Party about how to help the lockdown-battered economy ahead of the election and raises the likelihood that conservatives will return to that old-time religion on government spending and debt if Joe Biden wins in November.