WASHINGTON—Lawmakers face a rapidly approaching deadline to wrap up negotiations on another coronavirus relief bill, racing Thursday to complete the details of the roughly $900 billion package and pass it through Congress before the end of the week.
Top Republicans and Democrats are closing in on a relief package that would send another direct check to many Americans, enhance unemployment benefits, provide aid to small businesses and fund the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, among other measures. Because they are planning to approve a relief bill alongside a broad government spending package, they are sprinting to finish the relief bill before current government funding expires at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
As Covid-19 cases continue to increase across the country, nearly 900,000 people applied for jobless benefits last week, in another sign that the economic recovery is slowing down. Forms of unemployment assistance and other relief measures will expire in the coming weeks without Congressional action.
Negotiations were set to continue Thursday after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) spoke late Wednesday night.
As of Wednesday, lawmakers were still discussing the duration of a $300 weekly boost to unemployment benefits and whether to include $90 billion in emergency aid for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to people familiar with the talks.
