Senate Leaders, White House Reach Deal on Coronavirus Stimulus Package
INTENSE NEGOTIATIONS
After five days of negotiations, Senate leaders and the White House reached a deal after midnight on a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package. “We have a deal,” White House legislative affairs director Eric Ueland told reporters, according to The Washington Post. The huge bill aims to juice the ailing economy with $1,200 checks to many Americans, $367 billion in loans to small businesses, $130 billion for hospitals, and $500 billion for companies, cities, and states, the Post reports. Chief among the negotiators late Tuesday were Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Ueland, incoming chief of staff Mark Meadows, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Despite President Trump saying he’d “be the oversight” of the lending program, officials agreed to have an independent inspector general and oversight board, the Post reports.