Categories: Politics

Senate has yet to receive final draft of coronavirus relief bill passed by the House

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters following the Senate Republican policy luncheon which both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence attended on March 10, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Samuel Corum | Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he has yet to receive a final draft of the coronavirus relief bill the House passed early Saturday morning. 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that while he and the House had agreed on a second legislative package to help the country as it battles the virus, the two parties had also agreed to issue a “technical correction” to the bill on Monday.

“I don’t want people being surprised,” he said. “We will be doing a technical correction on Monday morning.” He said there was language that he, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., agreed on that didn’t make it into the bill.

In a statement Monday morning, McConnell indicated he has yet to receive the draft.

“First, we still need to receive the final version of the House’s coronavirus relief legislation,” he wrote. “I commend Sec. Mnuchin for his hard work on this. I know Senators on both sides are carefully reviewing the details and are eager to act swiftly to help American workers, families, and small businesses navigate this challenging time.”

He also echoed previous sentiments from Pelosi and Mnuchin that there will be more bills yet to pass in the wake of the pandemic. 

“Senate Republicans feel strongly that this bill must only be the beginning of Congress’s efforts to support our nation’s economy and stand with American families,” McConnell said.

Mnuchin said this weekend the administration plans to go back to the Senate on “other things,” beyond the house bill awaiting its approval.

“Airlines — very focused on airlines — hotels, cruise ships, workers for these industries,” he said. 

McConnell said Monday that Senate Republicans’ focus in further relief bills will include steps to help Americans address financial challenges, aid to small businesses and support to the health-care system and medical professionals. 

“Discussions are already underway on these key pillars. The Senate is eager to work with the Administration and the House to deliver the solutions our nation deserves,” he said. 

The next vote the Republican-led Senate has scheduled is over the renewal of national security surveillance law, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. That is scheduled for Monday at 5:30 p.m.

“Until the FISA legislation is passed, any action on the House coronavirus legislation will take unanimous consent,” a spokesperson for McConnell previously told CNBC.