Provided by Dow Jones
By Kristina Peterson, Andrew Duehren and Nick Timiraos WASHINGTON President Trump signed a two-day spending bill passed by Congress Friday evening to prevent a partial government shutdown after midnight, as congressional leaders struggled to wrap up negotiations on a coronavirus relief package. In the Covid-19 talks, negotiators were still wrestling Friday to close differences on the Federal Reserve s emergency lending powers, among other snags. Leaders have aimed to pair the passage of the Covid-19 aid bill with a broader spending bill. While lawmakers maintain that they are closing in on an agreement, it became clear Friday that a coronavirus-aid package wouldn t be finished in time to pass with a spending bill needed to avoid a government shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Biden may time confirmation votes to protect House majority
President-elect s decision to tap several House Democrats for administrative positions is putting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a politically tough spot
Joe Biden’s decision to tap several House Democrats for administrative positions is putting Speaker
Nancy Pelosi in a politically tough spot, having chiseled away at the party’s already slimming majority and leaving her potentially without enough votes to pass his legislative agenda.
Democrats already were heading into the new Congress with a razor-thin margin over Republicans. But Biden’s overture to a third lawmaker, Rep.
Deb Haaland, D-N.M., as the history-making first Native American interior secretary, set off a fresh round of pained conversations on what to do. Pelosi will start the Biden era with a narrow majority, 222-211, with a few races still undecided.