President TrumpDonald TrumpTrump signs bill to keep government open amid relief talks US to close two Russia consulates ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trends on social media following new Space Force name MORE on Friday signed a stopgap funding measure that will keep the government funded for another 48 hours while lawmakers attempt to finalize an agreement on an economic relief bill.
Trump signed the bill just after 10 p.m., according to the White House.
The House passed the continuing resolution (CR) by a vote of 320-60, while the Senate passed it unanimously. Government funding would have expired at midnight had Congress not passed the stopgap measure.
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Congressional leaders are planning to attach the coronavirus relief to a massive spending package to keep the government funded through the rest of the fiscal year. Lawmakers have in recent days insisted they are close to a final agreement on the relief package, but it has been held up by thorny issues.
Democrats have balked at language supported by Sen. Pat ToomeyPatrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyGovernment used Patriot Act to gather website visitor logs in 2019 Appeals court rules NSA’s bulk phone data collection illegal Dunford withdraws from consideration to chair coronavirus oversight panel MORE (R-Pa.) that would wind down the Federal Reserve’s authority to set up credit lending facilities.
Meanwhile, Sens. Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David HawleyTrump signs bill to keep government open amid relief talks On The Money: Congress passes bill to avert shutdown as coronavirus talks drag into weekend | Federal Reserve fight imperils relief talks Overnight Health Care: CVS, Walgreens to begin nursing home vaccinations | Pence receives coronavirus vaccine on camera | 8.2M people sign up for ObamaCare MORE (R-Mo.) and Bernie SandersBernie SandersTrump signs bill to keep government open amid relief talks On The Money: Congress passes bill to avert shutdown as coronavirus talks drag into weekend | Federal Reserve fight imperils relief talks Congress passes bill to avert shutdown as coronavirus talks drag into weekend MORE (I-Vt.) have pushed for the inclusion of $1,200 direct stimulus payments to Americans, but Sen. Ron JohnsonRonald (Ron) Harold JohnsonTrump signs bill to keep government open amid relief talks On The Money: Congress passes bill to avert shutdown as coronavirus talks drag into weekend | Federal Reserve fight imperils relief talks Pressley calls 0 stimulus checks an ‘insult’ to struggling Americans MORE (R-Wis.) blocked the proposal Friday. Instead, negotiators are likely to agree on $600 direct payments.
The two parties have struggled to reach an agreement on coronavirus relief since the summer. But the negotiations have gained momentum after a bipartisan group of lawmakers provided a $908 billion framework earlier this month.
The pandemic has worsened in the U.S. while Congress fails to pass relief. The country surpassed 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus earlier this week, and on Wednesday set a record for deaths in a single day at more than 3,600.