Coronavirus stimulus: Congress returns next week for lame-duck session

WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — Members of the House and Senate return to Washington next week. One of their top priorities will be to see if both sides can agree on a coronavirus stimulus bill.

But can Congress get it done in a lame-duck session after returning from the Thanksgiving holiday> Members of congress we’ve heard from publicly say they still want to see a coronavirus relief deal done between now and the new year.

But is the political will to work together gone now that we’re in a lame-duck session
with an incoming Biden administration?

“I’m just hoping that with the election aside now, that Nancy would put politics aside now and put the American public first,” Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, said. “Because I do know there are enough votes inside the House, if she didn’t hold them up, to get a COVID relief package in. I can work with anyone who’s willing to work on those issues who is willing to put the country first.”

A few days ago, President-elect Joe Biden met with Speaker Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer to talk about coronavirus relief. Biden spoke about the importance of both parties putting their differences aside and working together.

During his Thanksgiving address, Biden said he wants more testing, more PPE for businesses and schools. But both of those things may require another coronavirus deal.

“Reason, not hyper-partisanship. Light, not heat. You want us to hear one another again, see one another again, respect one another again. You want Democrats and Republicans to come together and work together. That my friends is what I’m determined to do,” Biden said.

Earlier in the week, there was reporting that the Biden administration was urging Democrat congressional leaders to come to an agreement, even if it meant accepting a smaller deal than what Speaker Pelosi had been pushing for: a $2.2 trillion package.

The Biden transition has denied that, saying the reporting was inaccurate.

A spokesman for the Biden transition team says President-elect Biden “fully supports the Speaker and Leader in their negotiations.”