The chances for a coronavirus relief bill have dimmed amid the uncertainty of the Nov. 3 election results — and might be delayed until January, The Hill reported.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who was leading President Donald Trump in vote counts in four battleground states Friday, has not yet secured the victory.
Yet, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he wants to get a bill passed by the end of the year when "the partisan passions that prevented us from doing another rescue package will subside with the election," The Hill noted.
Now, with the uncertainty about the control of the Senate — with two likely races to be settled in Georgia on Jan. 5 — it is unclear a lame duck legislative session will be able to pull it off, The Hill noted.
Negotiations so far have taken place between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. But White House adviser Larry Kudlow said Friday the Trump administration had opened talks with McConnell, not Pelosi, on coronavirus relief, The Hill reported.
Pelosi — amid losses in her caucus — has nonetheless left the door open to compromise.
"We have a responsibility to find a common ground, stand our ground where we can," she said Friday. And Democrats see McConnell's public embrace of reaching a deal as reason for hope.
"The difference to me now is that McConnell seems to want to do one," an unnamed House Democratic aide told The Hill. "I thought it was pretty telling that the first thing McConnell said the day after the election was the need to do a stimulus package."
The president remains the wildcard in any negotiations.
With the election over and Trump signaling he might not accept defeat, it remains unclear how willing he would be to strike a deal and sign legislation into law before year's end, The Hill reported.
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