Democrats wanted a tax credit for low income families. Republicans wanted a tax break for '3 martini lunches.'

Capitol building.
(Image credit: Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

To secure a compromise on a COVID-19 relief bill, both parties in Congress had to trade some proverbial "horses," even if one side viewed the other's as "unconscionable."

That's the word Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) used to describe the GOP's White House-backed tax break for corporate meal expenses, per The Washington Post. Proponents of the tax break, including President Trump, argue it will help boost activity for restaurants, but critics have derisively labeled it the "three-martini lunch" deduction, claiming it will really benefit business executives rather than the dining industry. But despite staunch Democratic opposition, it worked its way into the draft relief bill that Congress is hoping to pass soon.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.