Ben Nuelle

Congress faces a midnight deadline to keep the government funded. As of Thursday evening, it wasn’t clear whether lawmakers would be asked to pass a very short-term stopgap spending bill to provide the time they need to pass a massive bill that would include both government funding for fiscal 2021 as well as a big new COVID aid package.

Congressional leaders are looking to pass a massive bill in the next two days to keep the government funded and provide about $900 billion in coronavirus relief. Details of the COVID package had not been released as of Wednesday, but “there’s a sense of urgency for getting this done this week,” said Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois.

Congressional leaders spent Tuesday evening behind closed doors working on a sweeping year-end deal that would include a new coronavirus relief package as well as funding for the federal government for the fiscal 2021.

A water resources reauthorization bill nearing final congressional approval could accelerate the reconstruction of locks and dams and other waterway projects. 

Time is running short for congressional leaders to announce a deal on a coronavirus relief package, but there continues to be some signs of progress.

Lawmakers now have until this Friday to reach agreement on a new coronavirus relief package and government-wide funding for fiscal 2021.

The Agriculture Department lowered its estimate of already tight ending stocks for soybeans as USDA increased its estimate of how much of the 2020 crop would be crushed.

The House has passed a new stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded through next week - and buy more time for negotiators to reach a deal on a new coronavirus relief package.

A bipartisan group of senators negotiating a $908 billion coronavirus relief package is circulating a summary of the plan that allocates $13 billion for the agriculture sector. The document was obtained by Agri-Pulse.