House Democrats and the Trump administration have reportedly reached an agreement regarding a House relief bill that addresses concerns over the coronavirus. Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have reportedly discussed the contents of the bill extensively before reaching an agreement.
At a press conference on Friday, Speaker Pelosi said the three most important parts of the bill are "testing, testing, testing." The Families First Coronavirus Response Act extends free testing for the coronavirus to the uninsured and anyone who needs it. The bill also increases spending on unemployment benefits and Medicaid and allocates money to provide school lunches to students whose schools remain closed during the coronavirus.
"We are proud to have reached an agreement with the Administration to resolve outstanding challenges, and now will soon pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act," Speaker Pelosi wrote in a note to her Democratic colleagues.
The House is hoping to pass the legislation later on Friday, sending it to the Senate to take up the bill when they return next week. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier on Friday that he was glad talks were ongoing between the speaker and the Trump administration and was hopeful that Congress could pass legislation to help combat the virus and keep the economy strong.
Notwithstanding the scheduled state work period, the Senate will be in session next week. I am glad talks are ongoing between the Administration and Speaker Pelosi. I hope Congress can pass bipartisan legislation to continue combating the coronavirus and keep our economy strong.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) March 12, 2020