Stimulus: Mitch McConnell Expects New Relief Agreement Within Hours

Around 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly said that a stimulus check bill would be “nailed down in a matter of hours.” The lawmaker’s quote was a beacon of hope to Americans struggling with the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic fall-out. However, it is still unclear what this new package will look like if it passes.

The U.S. Congress has been scrambling to pass a COVID-19 relief bill before its legislative session ends, and McConnell has been negotiating privately with Democratic leaders for days now. On Sunday afternoon, multiple reporters on Capitol Hill shared McConnell’s optimistic statement on Twitter. He reportedly said: “We are winnowing down the remaining differences. I believe I can speak for all sides when I say that I hope and expect to have a final agreement nailed down in a matter of hours.”

That’s good, as there are only hours left in which a stimulus bill could be passed. Congress is already over a week past the scheduled end of its session, with two short extensions passed to leave time for an annual spending bill and a stimulus bill. Lawmakers had until the end of the day on Sunday to agree on both or leave Americans hanging.

According to a report by CNBC, Congress has until 12:01 a.m. ET to pass an annual spending bill and avoid a government shut-down, and the stimulus package is likely to be included in that bill. The outlet also reports that the package McConnell is referring to has not been widely distributed yet, giving other lawmakers very little time to go over it.

McConnell has been working directly with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders of the two parties and the two legislatures, with a plan to pass about $900 billion in aid this time around. McConnell has reportedly used the impending Biden presidency as a bargaining chip, arguing that Biden plans to push for another big stimulus bill in January, so this one should be on the small side.

Other factions in Congress have come up with their own proposals and gained bipartisan support, but for some reason, McConnell and Pelosi are not taking that route. The White House has also made a proposal, though Senate Republicans were not enthusiastic about it while House Democrats condemned it as unacceptable.

While nothing is set in stone just yet, any stimulus package that passes on Sunday will likely include unemployment, vaccination funding, and an extension of the federal eviction moratorium. McConnell is also pushing for liability shields for businesses to protect them from COVID-19-related lawsuits. A direct stimulus check itself remains up for debate.