Coronavirus aid deal down to the ‘fine print,’ Pelosi says – By Lindsey McPherson and Jennifer Shutt (Roll Call) / April 20 2020
Big relief measure for small businesses and hospitals nears finish line, but the devil is always in the details
Congressional leaders and the White House have an agreement in principle on a nearly $500 billion coronavirus relief package and are now working through the final details, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday night.
“We have, I believe, come to terms on the principles of the legislation, which is a good thing. But then it’s always in the fine print, so now we’re down to the fine print,” Pelosi said on CNN.
While the California Democrat said she was “very optimistic” that the Senate could vote as early as Tuesday, several sources familiar with the talks who were not authorized to speak publicly said a final deal was unlikely until the wee hours of the morning at the earliest.
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer updated lawmakers late Monday that the earliest that chamber would vote on the package is Thursday. Democratic leaders plan to call members back to Washington for a recorded vote due to likely objections to passing the measure by unanimous consent.
As talks dragged on, the broad outlines of the deal appeared set. The latest aid package in response to the global pandemic is likely to include an additional $310 billion for the so-called Paycheck Protection Program that provides small businesses with forgivable loans to keep employees on the payroll.
Continue to article: https://www.rollcall.com/2020/04/20/mccarthy-says-democrats-holding-up-coronavirus-aid-deal/
