Pelosi says she's 'near' an agreement with White House on coronavirus aid package


After spending hours working with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced late Thursday that she is close to reaching a deal with the White House on a coronavirus aid package.
We "are near to an agreement," she told reporters. The final details are still being hammered out, but the package is set to include a provision requiring businesses to give employees up to 14 days of paid leave if they have to stay home with the coronavirus. Companies would be reimbursed by the federal government through tax credits. It will also have measures to boost paid family leave, unemployment benefits, and nutrition programs, while also providing free coronavirus testing.
Pelosi said she expects there will be a vote on the package Friday "one way or another." Last week, Congress passed an $8.3 billion emergency spending package to combat coronavirus.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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