Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned lawmakers that the chamber is likely to remain in session this weekend to vote on a new round of coronavirus aid legislation and a massive 2021 spending bill.
Democratic and Republican leaders have yet to finalize a must-pass deal on the coronavirus aid package, which will make it harder to clear the bill by Friday, as lawmakers had hoped.
Instead, Congress may be forced to pass another short-term federal spending bill to extend government funding beyond a Friday deadline.
“For the information of all senators, we are going to stay right here until we are finished, even if that means working into or through the weekend,” McConnell warned in a floor speech on Thursday morning.
Top House and Senate lawmakers are negotiating a coronavirus aid deal worth roughly $908 billion. The package would include a new round of stimulus checks for certain individuals and families and a four-month extension in supplemental federal unemployment insurance.
The measure may also include $90 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist states coping with decreased tax revenue.
But nothing has been finalized, and Democrats have yet to agree to the terms of the deal. Some lawmakers want the stimulus checks to pay more than the proposed $700 for individuals, for example. The two parties also disagree on a proposal to increase food stamp benefits by 15% for the next four months.
McConnell warned the negotiators that time is running out to pass a year-end deal that constituents are demanding in response to increases in coronavirus cases and economic lockdowns.
“We’re near the point in this process where we decide if we’re going to stay on the fast track or drift back toward business as usual,” the Kentucky Republican said. “I say the answer is obvious. After all these months, struggling Americans don’t just need action. They need action fast.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said a deal was close.
“While many, if not all of the difficult topics are behind us, a few final issues must be hammered out,” he said.
The virus aid bill will be packaged with the 2021 spending bill that expires on Friday.
Republican leaders say if a stopgap bill is needed to keep the government open, it will last only a day or two to put pressure on lawmakers.
“I hope we only extend it for a very, very short window of time,” McConnell said. “Our citizens can’t afford for us to get bogged down in the back-and-forth. Let’s finish up our bipartisan framework. Let’s make law as soon as possible. That’s what our people deserve.”
