Top US congressional lawmakers struck a late-night agreement on the last major obstacle to a coronavirus economic relief package costing nearly US$1 trillion, clearing the way for votes Sunday. “We’re getting very close, very close,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said earlier Saturday as he spent much of the day going back and forth with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Schumer said he hoped both the House and Senate would vote on the measure Sunday. At issue were Fed emergency programs, launched amid the pandemic this spring, that provided loans to small and mid-size businesses and bought state and local government bonds. House lawmakers would probably have only a few hours to study it before voting as early as Sunday night.

Source: The Standard December 20, 2020 06:33 UTC