Relief Bill Set for Votes in House, Senate: Congress Update

(Bloomberg) -- The House and Senate are set to vote today on a $900 billion pandemic relief package along with a $1.4 trillion measure to fund the government, after days of intense negotiations reversed a months-long stalemate just before lawmakers left town for a holiday break.

Both chambers passed a one-day continuing resolution late Sunday to keep the government open through Monday at midnight -- the third such move in recent weeks -- to buy more time for a vote on a spending package that includes funds for small businesses, stimulus payments for most individuals, supplemental unemployment benefits, support for vaccine distribution and resources for education, child care and housing.

Other Developments:

Democrats Say More Aid Needed for Economy (2 a.m.)

Both parties claimed many of their priorities were achieved in the legislation, which will be passed along with a bill to fund regular government operations through the end of the fiscal year. But Democrats said they aren’t finished.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he expects that a “more robust” bill will be considered after President-elect Joe Biden takes office Jan. 20. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “We are going to have a much easier time than we had with a Republican president and a Republican Senate.”

But Pelosi will have a narrower majority in the House in the next Congress, which begins on Jan. 3, and control of the Senate depends on a Jan. 5 runoff for the two Georgia seats. Democrats would need to defeat both Republican incumbents, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, to have the slimmest Senate majority.

Biden on Sunday said he applauds Congress’s bipartisan agreement, but he described the package as providing “temporary relief.”

“This action in the lame duck session is just the beginning. Our work is far from over,” Biden said in a statement including other actions his administration plans to take. “Immediately, starting in the new year, Congress will need to get to work on support for our COVID-19 plan, for support to struggling families, and investments in jobs and economic recovery.”

The roughly $900 billion pandemic relief plan, along with the government spending bill, is set to get votes in the House and Senate Monday, and congressional leaders say they expect it to pass. The White House said President Donald Trump would sign it.

The bill includes help for small businesses, the jobless and direct payments to most Americans. It also provides funding for vaccine distribution, food assistance, tax breaks and money for education and child care. -- Dan Flatley

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.