Congressional Leaders Agree to Vote on One-Week Stopgap Bill

Congressional leaders are trying to give their negotiators more time to reach an agreement on a COVID-19 relief package and the $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill to which pandemic relief would be attached.

Current funding for the majority of the Executive Branch is set to expire on Friday, December 11.

On Monday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced by tweet that the House would vote Wednesday on a one-week continuing resolution “to keep government open while negotiations continue.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) then committed that the Senate would pass the resolution “whenever we get it” from the House.

In his remarks Monday on the Senate floor, Senator McConnell said both parties needed to act on measures that have broad support and that their disagreements on other matters “aren’t going to be resolved overnight.”

Despite the enormity of the approximately $900 bipartisan billion pandemic relief plan reportedly under negotiation, lawmakers have still not released final details of the plan under negotiation. Instead, congressional leaders and their aides have broadly characterized their disagreements and publically committed to reach an agreement.

“We’re trying to narrow the scope, get the relief out there flowing,” said Representative Tom Reed (R-NY), co-head of the bipartisan Problem Solvers group, “We were trying to get to that sweet spot, that common ground.”