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The
official said the agreement could include funding for the U.S.
Postal Service, additional funding for loans to small- and
medium-sized businesses to keep workers on their payrolls and
potentially added money for schools.
"I think there’s a real desire by some in the Democratic caucus
and some in the Republican conference, both in the House and the
Senate, to do a smaller deal on the things we can agree upon,"
the official said. "It could be about $500 billion."
That amount still falls far short of what Democrats have been
seeking in protracted discussions with the administration.
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday
said Democrats in Congress are willing to cut their relief bill
in half to get an agreement on new legislation.
"We have to try to come to that agreement now," Pelosi said in
an online interview with Politico. "We're willing to cut our
bill in half to meet the needs right now."
The Democratic-led House passed legislation with over $3
trillion in relief in May. Democrats offered this month to
reduce that sum by $1 trillion, but the White House rejected it.
The two sides remain about $2 trillion apart, with wide gaps on
funding for schools, aid to state and local governments, and
enhanced unemployment benefits.
The senior administration official said while a narrow agreement
was possible on some issues, he did not see aid to state and
local governments and a fresh round of stimulus checks as
possible at the moment.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Clarence Fernandez &
Shri Navaratnam)
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