Coronavirus House will not hold votes until Sept. 14 unless deal is reached on coronavirus stimulus

Coronavirus

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced Monday that the House will not hold any floor votes until Sept. 14, though members will remain on 24-hour notice to return to Washington in case a deal on coronavirus stimulus is reached.

Why it matters: Democrats and the Trump administration remain deadlocked and have not met since negotiations broke down without a deal on Friday.

• In the meantime, President Trump has signed four executive actions to provide economic relief, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have slammed as “weak” and “absurdly unconstitutional.”
• The Senate remains in session this week but does not have any floor votes scheduled.

What they’re saying: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has not been involved in the negotiations between the White House and Democrats, criticized Pelosi for holding up a deal by demanding funding for state and local budgets that have been decimated by the pandemic.

• “Republicans want to send cash right now for schools, testing, and unemployment benefits, and argue over state bailouts later,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Monday, adding that the GOP has done “everything possible” to reach a stimulus deal.

Hoyer said in a statement: “Unfortunately, while it has been nearly three months since the House passed the Heroes Act to provide assistance to families, increase testing and tracing, and help state and local governments keep teachers, first responders, and other essential workers on the job, Republicans have refused to act.”

What to watch: Congress must also pass a deal on government funding before it expires on Sept. 30. “We cannot risk a government shutdown in the middle of a pandemic and an economic crisis,” Hoyer said.

Go deeper: Pelosi, Schumer say July jobs report underscores need for next coronavirus stimulus

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