Still No Consensus in Congress Over Coronavirus Relief Package

Congress is back in session this week, but don’t expect a coronavirus relief package to be approved anytime soon. They resumed following a brief recess and the main topic of discussion will be about a broader spending bill. Congress hopes to vote on it by December 11th in order to avoid a partial government shutdown. While it’s no relief package, the hope is some of the more crucial pandemic provisions that have expired, or will expire soon, will be extended. They include unemployment benefits, eviction moratoriums, and a continued pause on student loans. However, a larger relief bill still doesn’t appear to be anywhere in sight. As the pandemic reaches unprecedented levels, Republicans and Democrats are still in a stalemate over what should go into the bill and how much it should cost. President-elect Joe Biden supports the $3 trillion Democratic-backed bill proposed in May, but if Republicans maintain their hold as the Senate majority, it most likely will not pass.