Battle heats up for phase-four coronavirus relief bill

The Senate’s passage of a $484 billion coronavirus relief bill on Tuesday is setting the stage for negotiations on an even bigger package that could rival the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed by Congress last month.

The legislation would funnel tens of billions if not hundreds of billions to state and local governments and could address infrastructure spending and election security.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) on Tuesday called for Congress to begin thinking about “CARES 2” after the Senate deal, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned of the growing amount of debt the U.S. is adding, previewing the battle to come. Continue reading.