Washington – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with other congressional leaders Tuesday afternoon to discuss the completion of a government spending measure and a coronavirus relief bill as the window closes quickly for Congress to act before government funding expires Friday and critical aid programs expire at the end of the month.
Pelosi met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in his office. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also joined the meeting by telephone. Mnuchin and Pelosi have been negotiating for several months.
Schumer later told reporters that “it was a good meeting.” McCarthy also said there had been “progress.”
“We keep working. I think there’s progress. We’ll come back together,” McCarthy told reporters. Leaders will meet again at 7:30 p.m.
Pelosi said on his way to the meeting that lawmakers “must reach an agreement” to reach an agreement before Friday.
“We have to come to an agreement. And we hope this happens the way the government is open. I know we will finish our work in the House,” Pelosi told reporters.
The meeting comes after a bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers on Monday introduced two bills on $ 908 billion worth of coronavirus relief. Pelosi and Schumer have previously called for the framework proposed by this group to be the basis of any negotiations.
The first bill totals $ 748 billion and includes additional funding for the popular Check Protection Program, schools and unemployment insurance, as well as more money for vaccine development and distribution, coronavirus testing and contact tracking. The second measure, which amounts to $ 160 billion, addresses two restricted points that have hampered negotiations: funding for state and local governments, which is critical for Democrats, and shields of responsibility for businesses and institutions, which is a priority for McConnell.
But McConnell said Tuesday he was willing to set aside civil liability protections and focus on the first bill, if Democrats are also willing to stop spending something on state and local aid.
“We should agree on what we can agree on,” McConnell said.
The meeting between the House leadership and the Senate on Tuesday indicates that lawmakers may be willing to commit after months of disagreement. Pelosi and McConnell have also said they would like to pass a new omnibus measure to fund the government for a year instead of an ongoing resolution extending the current funding for a limited period of time. Last week, Congress passed a continuing resolution to extend the deadline for government funding until Dec. 18.
Both houses must vote on the legislation and then it must be signed by President Trump at midnight on Friday to prevent a closure.
An unresolved issue is whether direct payments to Americans are included in a government funding bill or a coronavirus relief proposal. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Republican Sen. Josh Hawley have threatened to drop government funding unless Congress votes on the inclusion of direct controls. A group of progressive Democrats in the House also sent a letter to Congress address on Tuesday calling for direct payments to be included in the relief law.
Kimberly Brown contributed to this report.