McConnell says Senate will be in session next week to work on coronavirus bill despite preplanned recess

The Senate will be in session next week to work on coronavirus legislation and will not go on a previously scheduled recess, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on Thursday.

“The Senate will be in session next week,” McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, wrote on Twitter. “I am glad talks are ongoing between the Administration and Speaker Pelosi. I hope Congress can pass bipartisan legislation to continue combating the coronavirus and keep our economy strong.”

This comes as Republican senators up for reelection did not want to go home without passing an economic relief bill. Many Republicans believed that they would be in an untenable position politically if Democrats in the House passed their own bill and the Senate left town without acting.

The House is expected to pass its bill Thursday afternoon, though Republicans in the Senate have expressed opposition to it.

The question now is whether Democrats and the Trump administration can reach a deal that paves the way for Congress to send the President a new legislative package to sign to respond to the spread of coronavirus and how quickly that could happen.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at her weekly news conference that House Democrats plan to bring their coronavirus response package to the floor for a vote even as she noted that negotiations continue with the Trump administration in an effort to reach a consensus deal.

Pelosi said that Democrats are “addressing” some Republican concerns in their coronavirus response legislation, saying the Trump administration’s suggestions have so far been “very reasonable.”

If a consensus is reached and the House passes legislation on Thursday, the Senate could take it up next week. Canceling the planned recess period will at least ensure that senators will not be returning to their home states for a full week while coronavirus legislation sits idle.

On Wednesday night, Democrats released a legislative package that would provide support to families affected by the pandemic, including paid sick leave, free testing and funding increases to food security programs.

The package comes as officials in Washington race to find ways to combat the impact of the novel coronavirus, which as of Thursday has infected more than 1,300 people in the US and led to 39 deaths in the country. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he we was sharply restricting travel to the US from more than two dozen European countries in an effort to slow the pandemic’s spread.

But Congressional Republicans have reacted critically to a legislative package released by House Democrats on Wednesday night, creating uncertainty over whether Congress would be able to move legislation across the finish line.

This story has been updated with additional developments Thursday.