White House, GOP Senate negotiators reach framework deal on coronavirus stimulus package

Senate Republicans announced late Wednesday evening that they have reached a “fundamental agreement" with the White House on how to proceed with their coronavirus relief package. 

Senate and White House negotiators emerged from a meeting on Capitol Hill to announce the tentative deal and say that they could have final legislation as early as Thursday.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters that the teams are "completely on the same page" and "in good shape," amid concerns from the GOP congressional conference about another round of trillion-dollar coronavirus spending.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated that he wants the package to cost about $1 trillion, compared to the bill passed in May by the Democrat-controlled House that costs roughly $3.4 trillion.

Missouri GOP Sen. Roy Blunt, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, said he expects his caucus to release its measure through a series of bills, not an omnibus one. 

The negotiators reached an agreement on several sticking points and but reportedly did not address President Trump’s request for a payroll  tax cut – with the deadline to extend enhanced jobless benefits amid the pandemic now just seven days away. They reportedly agreed to include money to give unemployed Americans another round of direct payments but provided no specifics.

However, the negotiators, including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, said they have agreed to offer for testing $9 billion in previously appropriated funds and $16 billion in new funding, according to NBC.com. 

On schools, they agreed to $70 billion in funding for K-12 education on a per capita basis, with half of the money to cover costs for schools that have reopened, and $30 billion for colleges and universities.