House OKS one-week extension
Shutdown deadline looms as stimulus talks seem to falter
The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a one-week extension in funding for the federal government, a move aimed at giving lawmakers more time to hammer out agreements on spending bills and emergency economic relief.
Congressional leaders advanced the short-term extension in federal funding as negotiations over an emergency economic relief package appeared to falter and prospects of a major breakthrough dimmed.
The measure passed by a 343-to-67 vote.
Appropriators have continued to make progress on a set of spending bills to fund the federal agencies, with only a few outstanding policy issues left to be resolved by congressional leaders, aides involved in deliberations say. But talks on the broader stimulus package seemed at risk of breaking down after the White House on Tuesday proposed a relief bill that would offer only minimal benefits to unemployed Americans, a nonstarter for congressional Democrats.
The short-term spending bill is now expected to quickly move to the Senate, where majority leader Mitch Mcconnell, R-KY., has signaled he will hold a vote ahead of Friday’s deadline. If President Donald Trump doesn’t sign the measure into law by midnight on Friday, a government shutdown would commence on Saturday.
A group of bipartisan senators trying to break the stimulus logjam has continued chipping away at divisive policy issues throughout the week. On Wednesday, they released a six-page summary of the outlines of a potential compromise.
The group has not yet released bill text and its summary left unresolved the two most contentious issues facing lawmakers — aid to state and local governments, and protections against coronavirus-related lawsuits for businesses and other entities. Both of these issues have divided Congress for months. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., backed the initial $908 billion proposal as a starting point for negotiations, but Mcconnell has rejected the compromise framework.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s proposed relief package would offer a $600 stimulus check per person, including children, but would only extend minimal unemployment benefits. Democrats have ruled out accepting a deal that would not offer supplemental federal unemployment benefits. In a call with reporters on Wednesday, Mnuchin said the stimulus checks would have a bigger impact on reviving the economy than robust unemployment benefits. However, the $600 benefit would offer far less financial relief to millions of Americans who have lost their jobs than the unemployment plan.