On Wednesday morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised that he and the other congressional leaders would not stop working on a stimulus check bill “until we get it done.” The Republican senator has been meeting with the other heads of their parties in both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives in the hopes of passing a coronavirus relief package before the year is over. In a speech on the Senate floor, he vowed to get it done one way or another.
“The Democratic Leader and I worked into the evening alongside the Speaker of the House and the House Republican Leader,” McConnell said on Wednesday, according to a report by The Washington Post. “We made major headway toward hammering out a targeted pandemic relief package that would be able to pass both chambers with bipartisan majorities. Congressional leaders on both sides are going to keep working until we get it done.“
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McConnell’s promise comes as the stimulus negotiations reach a fever pitch again, though really they have been ongoing since May. The U.S. Congress has been trying to reach a compromise on a bill to help Americans handle the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have not agreed on one cohesive spending bill so far.
With their legislative session coming to a close soon, the lawmakers have one more chance to get some aid passed, even if it is not the comprehensive package most were hoping for. However, they also need to agree on their yearly spending bill by Friday, leaving little time for arguments.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Minority Leader Chuch Schumer to discuss the stimulus plans on Tuesday afternoon. The four leaders are juggling three ideas: the bipartisan $908 billion proposals, the White House’s $916 billion proposals, and the idea of simply including some relief measures within the spending bill itself.
Whichever they choose, they are expected to prioritize unemployment programs, funding for coronavirus testing, tracing and vaccinations, and small business subsidies. They may also provide funding to state and local governments for their pandemic responses.
However, President-elect Joe Biden has already clarified that passing another stimulus check bill is high on his priority list once he takes office in January. McConnell uses that as a bargaining chip. He has publicly proposed keeping this month’s stimulus bill minimalist because he expects Biden to propose something big in 2021. That means that if something passes this week, it is unlikely to include another general direct payment.
