US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will leave a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on December 18, 2020.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Congress voted Friday to avoid a two-day shutdown of the government and sent a temporary funding measure to President Donald Trump.
Federal funding will expire at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday if Washington doesn’t approve a spending bill. The emergency measure would keep the government running through Sunday until 12:01 a.m.ET Monday morning, as Congress leaders try to wrap up a full year of funding and coronavirus relief package.
Trump has hours to sign the bill before government funding expires.
Once Trump passes the measure, Congress will once again be on a tight deadline. The House will reconvene on Sunday at noon ET and will not vote earlier than 1:00 pm. The Senate will be returning Saturday at 11 a.m.ET and likely to address nominations.
Senators, including Vermont’s independent Bernie Sanders and Missouri Republican Josh Hawley, had warned they could delay the passing of a spending bill as they lobby for leadership to take a $ 1,200 direct payment in a pandemic help package. Neither lawmaker followed the warning.
Before the Senate unanimously approved the spending bill, Sanders said he would “object to any attempt” by the chamber to approve a year-long spending plan without also approving a pandemic relief package.
Hawley previously tweeted that he would not block the legislation after top Republicans assured him that a final emergency deal would include “direct aid to working people.” Lawmakers are expected to include $ 600 payments, instead of the $ 1,200 checks approved in March as part of the CARES law.
The Lower House initially tried unanimously on Friday to pass the financing law. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, however, objected, forcing a fully recorded vote.
The move delayed the bill by more than an hour as Congress worked on a tight schedule to beat the closing deadline. The House approved it in a vote of 320-60.
For the second time this month, lawmakers are trying to give themselves more time to wrap up financial statements and cash to lift a health care system and economy that is succumbing to a relentless coronavirus outbreak. They already approved a week-long extension that kept the lights on until Friday.
Congress leaders have been saying for days that they are close to a much-needed pandemic relief deal. However, they have failed to smooth out the final details of a $ 900 billion package.
Millions of Americans wait for help as the virus overwhelms hospitals and health workers. Covid-19 is now killing thousands of Americans every week.
New economic constraints to contain the outbreak have exacerbated pain for people already struggling to afford food and housing.
A Republican-backed proposal to limit the strength of Federal Reserve emergency loans is now the biggest hurdle to a deal. Democrats say the measure would hamper President-elect Joe Biden’s ability to respond to the ongoing economic crisis after taking office on Jan. 20.
In addition to direct payments, the development plan would include a federal unemployment benefit of $ 300 per week. It would extend the number of unemployment benefits that 12 million people would lose the day after Christmas.
It is now unclear how the proposal would deal with a federal deportation moratorium. The provision matures at the end of the year, leaving millions potentially vulnerable to eviction.
The package would put at least $ 300 billion in aid for small businesses. It would include money for the distribution and testing of Covid-19 vaccines, along with help for hospitals.
It would also direct funding to schools, which have had to adapt to remain open or become virtual during the pandemic.
The bill does not address state and local government support or corporate liability protection. Those issues divided the Democratic and Republican leaders.
Democrats and many ordinary GOP lawmakers, along with bipartisan governors, backed state and local aid where necessary to maintain the jobs for first responders and enable officials to manage the pandemic. The GOP argued that legal immunity would protect small businesses from frivolous lawsuits.
This story evolves. Please check again for updates.
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