The vote, largely along party lines, punctuated an opening day marked more by precaution than pomp, as the 117th Congress convened under the threat of a deadly pandemic.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, called the vandalism of his Louisville, Ky., home a “radical tantrum” taken from a “toxic playbook.”
In a brief bit of political theater, the House majority leader opened the House for business to ask for unanimous consent to accede to President Trump’s request for larger checks.
In a brief bit of political theater, the House majority leader opened the House for business to ask for unanimous consent to accede to President Trump’s request for larger checks. A Republican objected.
From the campaign trail in Georgia to Capitol Hill, President Trump’s demand for changes to the $900 billion pandemic relief plan upended political and economic calculations.
The president’s demand that Congress amend a giant coronavirus relief and government spending bill has raised the unexpected prospect that help may no longer be days away.
Top party leaders cinched a $900 billion relief deal after laying down their swords. But it took an empowered, bipartisan group of moderates to help bridge the divide.
Top senators appeared to strike an agreement on the central bank’s lending powers as they struggled to clear away the last sticking points in the $900 billion compromise plan.
Leaders struggled to clear away the last sticking points in the $900 billion compromise plan, including a stubborn disagreement over the central bank’s lending powers.
A deep distrust of the government is fueling vaccine hesitancy among Republicans, who are more likely than Democrats to resist being inoculated against Covid-19.
Worried about Georgia, Mitch McConnell plays ball in Washington: This is your morning tip sheet.
The emerging compromise would provide emergency stimulus payments, jobless aid and rental assistance, extending help to businesses and funding the distribution of a vaccine. But more is likely to be needed.
The top four congressional leaders had their first in-person spending discussions in months, but were still short of a deal on a pandemic stimulus measure or a broader spending plan.
The proposal by Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, was the administration’s first substantive engagement with Congress on a stimulus deal since the election.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, have agreed to try to reach a deal that could be included in a must-pass spending measure.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, spoke on Thursday as Joe Biden’s victory and vaccine breakthroughs added momentum to a push for a stimulus deal.
The Democratic leaders in Congress endorsed a $908 billion plan put forth by moderates in both parties, offering a significant concession in efforts to jump-start negotiations.