As Year-End Looms, Lawmakers Still Seek Deal On More Coronavirus Aid

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West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who’s seen here alongside a group of Democratic and Republican members of Congress as they announce a proposal for a COVID-19 relief bill on Dec. 1, said Sunday that negotiations on the bill’s text are ongoing.





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The Coronavirus Crisis
President Trump Signs Bill To Avoid Government Shutdown Ahead Of Deadline

Coronavirus aid could be passed along with a year-end spending bill. On Friday evening, President Trump signed a one-week temporary funding measure in order to avoid a government shutdown.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who was seeking a vote on a measure that would send direct payments to Americans, said he will raise his demands again when the continuing resolution expires in one week.

«If I have anything to say about it, and I guess I do, we’re not going to go home for the Christmas holidays unless we make sure that we provide for the millions of families in this country who are suffering, Sanders said on the Senate floor on Friday.

On Sunday, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told NBC’s Meet The Press he is «frustrated and embarrassed by the current absence of a new round of coronavirus relief.

«Bluntly, I will put a lot of that responsibility at the feet of the leader of the Senate Republican majority, Mitch McConnell, because over and over, as negotiations have tried to move forward over the last nine months, he’s had a key red line and sticking point, Coons said.

Kentucky’s McConnell has sought a liability shield to protect businesses against coronavirus-related lawsuits and from some regulations. McConnell on Tuesday had suggested both sides leave off sought-after provisions from a final agreement.



Coronavirus Updates
Congressional Leaders Remain At An Impasse On COVID-19 Relief

Despite his frustration, Coons, an ally of President-elect Joe Biden, said he’s optimistic because of a bipartisan group of lawmakers who developed a $908 billion relief framework.

That group includes Coons’ Democratic colleague from West Virginia, Sen. Joe Manchin, who on Sunday said he believes the bill’s text will be finalized by Monday.

«It hasn’t fallen apart, he said on Fox News Sunday. «We’ve been meeting day and night for the last month. We were on the call all day yesterday, we get on the call again this afternoon to finish things up. We’ll have a bill produced for the American people tomorrow, $908 billion.

Manchin acknowledged that legislation that size will have areas on which not every legislator will agree. He cautioned: «You can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

He stressed the bill is an emergency measure that will only cover the first quarter of 2021.

«We’ve got people without nutrition, we have people without shelter, we have people without paychecks, they’re unemployed, we have hospitals that are being overburdened, we have health care workers, we have schools that need to be attended to — this covers all of that, Manchin said.

THE BIGGEST WINNER OF OUR NEW DEFENSE BILL IS CHINA!. I WILL VETO!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2020

Meanwhile, Trump has once again threatened to veto the annual defense bill.

«THE BIGGEST WINNER OF OUR NEW DEFENSE BILL IS CHINA!. I WILL VETO! he wrote on Twitter Sunday morning.

As part of the massive annual legislation, the president has wanted Congress to repeal a liability shield for social media companies, known as Section 230.

Despite Trump’s protestations, the House and Senate have passed the bill, without a Section 230 repeal, by veto-proof majorities. If Trump does indeed veto the legislation, the chambers could override it.