Headline Roundup • December 18th, 2020
Congress Averts Government Shutdown, Nears COVID-19 Relief Deal
Summary from the AllSides News Team
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CNN Digital
Congressional leaders on Friday failed to secure a long-awaited deal on a $900 billion pandemic relief package but managed to narrowly avoid a government shutdown -- for now.
The House and Senate passed a two-day extension of government funding to keep agencies operating until Sunday night. The stop-gap bill now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature.
The move ratcheted up pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to finalize a stimulus agreement that they have said for days they are on the cusp...
Congress passed a days-long stopgap bill on Friday, hours before the government was scheduled to shut down, as negotiations over another coronavirus stimulus bill stretched into the weekend.
The legislation, which passed the Senate in a voice vote, extends the government funding deadline from Dec. 18 to the end of Dec. 20, giving negotiators more time to finish a sweeping deal to provide year-end coronavirus relief and fund the government through Oct. 1.
The House already passed the two-day continuing resolution (CR), meaning it now goes to President Trump’s desk....
The Senate Friday passed a measure to keep the government funded until Sunday at midnight, clearing the measure for President Trump's signature.
The legislation will provide Republican and Democratic leaders additional time to hammer out final differences in a coronavirus aid package they plan to bundle with 2021 government spending legislation.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, withdrew his objection to the bill after warning he would not agree to a final government funding bill until it is paired with the coronavirus bill.
"Let us get this package passed," Sanders...
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