Top-level negotiations between Congress and the White House teetered Sunday on a ballooning nearly $1.4tn economic rescue package, as the coronavirus crisis deepened and Donald Trump called for a deal to steady a shuttered nation.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin indicated an agreement is within reach, but congressional Republican and Democratic leaders said there was no deal yet after an hour-long meeting at the otherwise empty US Capitol.
With a population on edge, societal norms rewritten and financial markets shell shocked, all sides were hoping for an agreement that would provide some relief against the pandemic’s twin health and economic crises, now believed likely to stretch for several months.
“We’re continuing to talk,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats would be putting forward their own draft bill.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed the Senate would press ahead Sunday with a planned procedural vote as negotiations continue. “At some point here, we’ll have to stop,” he warned. He wants passage of the package by Monday.
