Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was “optimistic” for a bipartisan coronavirus deal Friday as negotiations made “significant headway.”
Lawmakers are racing to finalize a massive stimulus package — combining $1.4 trillion of government funding and COVID-19 relief — with a government-shutdown deadline hours away at midnight.
“The Democratic Leader, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, and I have been working around the clock for several days now. The talks remain productive,” Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said. “In fact, I am even more optimistic now than I was last night that a bipartisan, bicameral framework for a major rescue package is close at hand.”
Mr. McConnell told reporters that he thinks a short-term stopgap funding measure will “probably” be needed to keep the government running past midnight on Friday.
Congressional leaders were nearing a roughly $900 billion deal earlier this week, that was set to include another, limited, round of direct stimulus payments to individuals and families, aid to small businesses and extended boosted unemployment benefits.
The talks are continuing to drag on as lawmakers haggle over the details.
Congress has not passed a comprehensive coronavirus relief package since the spring.
