Negotiations stall over Title 42.
The Senate has left town for two weeks for its spring recess without acting on the $10 billion deal on pandemic relief. The White House has urged Congress to pass new funding to support the federal government’s testing capabilities and purchasing power of therapeutics and vaccines in its fight against COVID-19 as cases in some areas have been slowly rising and new variants emerge.
Earlier this week, Senate negotiators struck a bipartisan agreement to replenish those funds, but a day later, a procedural vote over Title 42, the immigration-related public health order, blocked further progress.
The Senate will not return until the last week of April and there is no timeline at present for getting the supplemental funding through. It also remains unclear how the parties will resolve the issue of the immigration order.
“It’s been a very busy March and work period, and when we come back in May, it’s going to be very busy again. We have a whole lot to do,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in floor remarks Thursday morning without specifically addressing pandemic relief.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president to seek God’s wisdom.
- For the Lord’s will to be accomplished.
Sources: US News & World Report, Politico
