Congress and the Trump administration are quickly nearing a more than $400 billiondeal on emergency funding for small businesses hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with passage expected in the coming days.
A deal could be announced as early as Sunday or Monday, according to congressional aides.On a conference call with President Donald Trump and Republican senators on Sunday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Republicans that the only portion of the package not agreed to focused on coronavirus testing, according to a person briefed on the call. McConnell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also said the money for state and local government funding, as well as food stamp aid requested by Democrats, would not be included in the deal.
But McConnell said the deal was not yet finalized, and he was noncommittal when asked about the timing of a Senate vote on the agreement, a second person familiar with the call said. McConnell did say the Senate would work to pass the agreement as soon as possible; a pro forma session is scheduled for Monday afternoon. Trump thanked everyone on the call for their hard work on the bill. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was also on the call.
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