Senate Republicans and Democrats huddled behind closed doors Saturday for a second day of talks to hammer out a $1 trillion stimulus bill meant to ease the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.
Negotiators missed Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s midnight deadline as they haggled over the GOP’s plan to send $1,200 checks directly to wage earners.
“We’re trying to do something that’s quick and gets an infusion of cash out there in a hurry, and the direct payments do that,” Sen. John Thune (R-SC) told Politico.
Democrats pushed to limit the cash payments to $1,000 per eligible adult — an outlay of about $250 billion — and to inject $250 billion into state unemployment programs.
But they are resisting Republican proposals for $300 billion in small-business loans and $200 billion for loans to airlines and other industries, The Hill reported.
The negotiators are racing the clock: Under Senate rules, procedural votes on the measure must pass over the weekend for the bill to be passed Monday, as McConnell has promised.
