21st December, 2020
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Sunday that bipartisan agreement had been reached on a roughly $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill.
“More help is on the way,” McConnell said on the Senate floor of the measure to provide assistance to address a number of coronavirus-related issues.
The deal includes a second round of stimulus checks and additional unemployment benefits.
It is expected to be approved in the House and the Senate.
“We’ve agreed to a package of nearly $900 billion, with targeted policies that help struggling Americans who’ve already waited entirely too long,” McConnell (R-KY) said from the Senate floor on Sunday.
“At long last, we had the bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed. Now we need to properly finalise tax avoidance or last minute obstacles and cooperate to move this legislation through both chambers.”
The agreement comes after months of negotiations for the next phase of government aid and days before key relief provisions under the CARES Act and from executive actions are set to expire.
The four Congressional leaders — known as the “four corners” — McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) began a series of meetings last week to discuss the stimulus deal.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has been representing the White House in talks, also joined the discussions.