BREAKING: Congress Reaches Deal On $900 Billion Covid Relief Package
Congress finally reached a deal on a coronavirus stimulus package Sunday evening, with the Democrat-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate agreeing to a $900 billion bill that will send long-awaited aid to small businesses, extend unemployment benefits, provide funding for vaccine distribution, send a $600 stimulus check to Americans making less than $75,000, and several other forms of economic relief and pandemic response assistance.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed the deal on his Twitter account, posting “Congress has just reached an agreement” and promising another rescue package “ASAP.”
BREAKING: As the American people continue battling the coronavirus this holiday season, they will not be on their own.
Congress has just reached an agreement. We will pass another rescue package ASAP. More help is on the way.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) December 20, 2020
CNN’s Manu Raju reported on the details of the package, noting that the text of the deal had not yet been seen, but the proposal reportedly includes an extension of unemployment benefits (currently scheduled to expire on December 27), providing an additional $300 per week for about 11 weeks. There is also a $600 stimulus check for Americans making less than $75,000, additional aid for hospitals, farmers, and “small businesses, including restaurants and the like. The bill further provides more than $80 billion to schools and others to help them open up safely during the pandemic, and additional funding for distributing the vaccine.
Raju also reported that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has said that she wants to have the House vote tonight, and it’s expected that the Senate will vote tomorrow morning.
“The big question is will President Trump sign this proposal,” said Raju. “His administration has been involved in these talks. He himself has not been involved in the talks. We’ll see what he says. But a significant moment after months and months of fighting, finally, the two sides have come together. A big sigh of relief for a lot of Americans.”
McConnell spoke on the Senate floor about the deal, confirming the details that Raju had reported about the bill’s contents, and also criticizing Democratic efforts to blame the delay solely on Republicans.
Watch the video above, via CNN.
This is a breaking story and has been updated.
