Congress

Still spinning their wheels on COVID-19 relief, lawmakers grabbed a one-week government funding extension on Wednesday that buys time for more talks — though there is considerable disagreement over who is supposed to be taking the lead from there.

More than 110,000 restaurants have shuttered this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, and a new report from the National Restaurant Association suggests time is running out for thousands more. 

The Trump administration offered a $916 billion coronavirus relief package to Democrats this week, the latest salvo in a nearly half-year long battle on Capitol Hill to pass another round of emergency aid.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading a progressive push for the next COVID-19 relief bill to include a second round of stimulus checks after Democratic leaders backed a compromise agreement without the payments last week.

The Senate has narrowly approved President Donald Trump’s lame-duck nominee to become a member of the Federal Communications Commission, setting up the agency for a stretch of partisan gridlock likely to stymie President-elect Joe Biden’s policies.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his call for President-elect Joe Biden to bypass Congress and cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt.

Despite renewed momentum on Capitol Hill to pass a coronavirus relief deal, a bipartisan proposal unveiled last week has run into familiar obstacles, potentially thwarting the chances of a year-end agreement.