One influential senator floats fallback option for extending unemployment benefits if they fail to make a deal
Senate Republicans struggled to finalize a $1 trillion coronavirus relief bill Wednesday, confronting internal divisions and continued White House demands for a payroll tax cut that most lawmakers oppose.
Several lawmakers speculated openly that they might be unable to make any deal with Democrats at all, suggesting the possible need for a stand-alone extension of unemployment benefits that expire at the end of this month.
Lawmakers and aides emphasized that their intention was to negotiate and pass a deal with Democrats in the next several weeks. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is readying a bill as a starting point for talks that he had hoped to launch as early as Wednesday, though that timeline slipped to Thursday as internal negotiations bogged down. Continue reading.