Congress reaches deal on COVID relief
Published 5:00 pm Sunday, December 20, 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.
The agreement, announced by Senate leaders, would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefits and $600 direct stimulus payments to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.
The House was expected to vote on the legislation on Monday, said a spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. The House would pass a one-day stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown at midnight Sunday. The Senate was likely to vote on Monday, too. Lawmakers were eager to leave Washington and close out a tumultuous year.