The tax break for corporate meal expenses has been denounced by congressional Democrats, but they agreed to the provision in exchange for expanded tax credits for low-income families and the working poor.
The deal includes stimulus checks and would extend unemployment benefits of up to $300 per week, which could start as early as Dec. 27.
The breakthrough came after two days of scrambling that sent tremors across Capitol Hill, as lawmakers realized that a deal badly desired by both sides could fall through at the last minute.
Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the No. 2 Senate Republican, told reporters Friday afternoon that expectations of a deal by the end of the day reflected “a triumph of hope over experience.”
Vice President Mike Pence became the highest ranking U.S. official to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the shot is safe.
Bearing down on a midnight shutdown deadline, top negotiators on a must-pass, almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package are committed to sealing an agreement Friday as they resolve remaining differences.
The hack compromised federal agencies and “critical infrastructure” in a sophisticated attack that was hard to detect and will be difficult to undo, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an unusual warning message.
The pending bill is the first significant legislative response to the pandemic since the landmark CARES Act passed virtually unanimously in March, delivering $1.8 trillion in aid.
The state received $2.4 billion earlier this year from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, which was established in the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act. The funding must be used for pandemic-related expenses incurred before Dec. 30.
The package emerging is expected to include hundreds of billions of dollars in aid for ailing small businesses and jobless Americans and a one-time check of between $600 and $700 for millions of Americans below a certain income threshold.
The choice of Pete Buttigieg, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination and has an ardent following among some members of the party, will bring a dash of star power to what is normally a staid, if important, department.
U.S. officials say they’re actively negotiating for additional purchases of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine after passing up a chance to lock in a contract this summer since it was still unclear how well the shots would work.
President-elect Joe Biden introduced Democratic primary rival Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday as his nominee for transportation secretary, calling the 38-year-old ex-mayor of South Bend “a new voice, with new ideas determined to move past old politics.”
Top congressional leaders are hoping to seal a deal as early as Wednesday that would extend aid to individuals and businesses and help ship coronavirus vaccines to millions.
This year’s months-long hack of federal networks has revealed new weaknesses and underscored some previously known ones, including the government’s reliance on widely used commercial software that provides potential attack vectors for nation-state hackers.
Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, one of Biden’s rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, was a breakout star of the primaries.
The dozen or so lawmakers sealed agreement on their COVID relief plan over the weekend and decided to offer two pandemic relief packages with varying price tags.
Federal officials hope to have given both of the required vaccine doses to 100 million people by the end of March. It could take two to three more months to immunize enough people to prompt herd immunity.
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn denied Saturday that the White House had threatened his job if the agency didn’t move quickly on the vaccine.
