With Joe Biden NOW up front ‘elected’ to the Presidency for ALL to see….
Democrats and Republicans in Congress Are getting down to working….
(They have already approved a Defense Spending Bill)
Things may be bumpy…
But they ARE on the way to getting there….
Congressional negotiators are closing in on a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending deal to ward off a government shutdown on Friday at midnight, crossing one major priority off the legislative agenda and adding further urgency around the inclusion of coronavirus aid in a year-end package.
Lawmakers expect to announce an omnibus compromise Tuesday, with legislative text coming that same day, according to sources involved with the process. Both chambers would need to take up the bill quickly, in what’s expected to be the final major act of the 116th Congress.
In one sign of the optimism for a quick agreement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a call Monday night that the remaining issues “could be readily resolved,” according to a Pelosi spokesman. Top appropriators and staff worked through the weekend to resolve outstanding issues. Just a “few small items” with the fiscal 2021 funding package remain open, according to one GOP aide.
The massive omnibus deal is also critical to the fate of coronavirus relief. With little floor time left, that bill is the likely vehicle for Covid-related fiscal stimulus if top Republicans and Democrats can reach a long-delayed accord this week. Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have said they want to combine coronavirus relief with the annual budget measure….