Pelosi Commits to Keep House in Session Until COVID-19 Relief Deal Is Reached

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Sep 16, 2020 05:58 AM EDT

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that the Congress would stay in session until lawmakers reach another COVID-19 relief deal.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks about the 'Heroes Act', a proposal for the next phase of the COVID-19 relief legislation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, US.

(Photo : Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS)

"We are committed to staying here until we have an agreement that meets the needs of the American people," Pelosi told CNBC.

During a morning conference with her colleagues, Pelosi said that they have to stay "until we have a bill." A Democratic aide told this to Associated Press on anonymity but authorized to quote Pelosi's remarks.

According to CNN, Pelosi and other Democratic leaders first appeared to indicate the House was poised to scrap some of its pre-election recess for October. But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Tuesday that there wouldn't be much different from what the House has done throughout August.

Members can still go home to their home districts, said Hoyer, while Democratic leaders move forward with negotiations. They will get a 24-hours notice to get to Washington once a deal is reached, and they have to vote.

"What the speaker is saying and what I would reiterate is that we are going to be voting on a piece of legislation as soon as we can get to a deal," Hoyer said.

The Reality of COVID-19 Relief

Both sides of the coronavirus relief negotiations are insistent that they want action. They keep the idea of a new relief deal alive, but negotiations have been at a stalemate until now.

Democrats and the White House remain frozen and entrenched in their own positions regarding the bill. The two sides are not even close to getting an agreement.

Negotiations broke down last month as both parties could not get a price tag on the stimulus package.

Pelosi's comments came as moderate Democrats signed a $1.5 trillion package endorsed by the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. They are a group of about 50 lawmakers who seek common solutions to issues.

The plan covers many things from both the demands of the House Democrats and Republicans. It had aid for schools, funding for state and local governments, and renewal of jobless benefits.

The price tag is much less than the Democrats' $2.2 trillion figure. But it is also well about the $650 billion from the Senate GOP plan that failed last week.

What Has Changed and What Hasn't?

The surprise development from the House reflects how bad the public health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic is. It also showed the growing pressure that Pelosi faces from the moderate wing of her party, The Hill said in a report.

The moderates asked Pelosi for a pre-election vote on some emergency aid version that will cover states, households, and small businesses. The package does not match all of the Democrats' demands.

As for what did not change, the scheduled session still ends on October 2. Most lawmakers will go home for reelection campaigns. If a deal is reached, then members can return to Washington for the vote.