WASHINGTON (AP) – The House of Representatives approved a two-day interim spending bill on Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown, trying to buy time in slow negotiations over a nearly $ 1 trillion aid package to make facing the consequences of the coronavirus.
The Senate is not guaranteed to pass it, but it seems likely it will do so before the deadline at midnight.
The lower house approved the bill by 320 votes in favor and 60 against. Now frustrated lawmakers are heading to continue negotiating over the weekend.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier that he was “even more optimistic now than he was last night.”
Still, Democrats launched a concerted campaign to block an attempt by Republicans to curb the emergency credit powers of the Federal Reserve. They said the Republican proposal would deprive President-elect Joe Biden of crucial tools for managing the economy.
Believing that an agreement could be reached on Friday “would be a triumph of hope over experience,” said the second-highest-ranking Republican in the Senate, John Thune.
Government funding expires at midnight Friday, and there will be a low-impact partial shutdown if Congress does not pass an interim spending bill before the deadline.
Democrats oppose a ruling by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey that would cancel more than $ 400 billion in potential Fed lending powers established in March under an aid bill. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will shut down the programs at the end of December, but Toomey’s language goes further, calling for banning the central bank from restarting lending next year. Democrats say the provision will tie Biden’s hands and put the economy at risk.
The struggle overshadowed progress on other issues in the long-awaited agreement. After feeling overwhelmed for much of Thursday, negotiators were more optimistic, although the complexity of reaching a negotiated solution to the remaining issues and drafting agreements in precise, legislative language was daunting.
Apparently the central points were already ready: more than 300,000 million dollars in aid to companies; an additional federal unemployment benefit of $ 300 per week and renewal of state benefits, which are about to expire; direct payments of $ 600 to individuals; funding for vaccine distribution; and money for tenants, schools, the Postal Service, and people requiring food aid.
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Associated Press reporter Christopher Rugaber contributed to this report.
