Claudia Grisales

Congress left for an extended recess as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and may not return for several weeks. Lawmakers say their days have turned into a blur of conference calls and video chats.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it could be several weeks before any bipartisan legislation. She also said she would not be tested herself, despite an apparent new case among her members.

The CARES Act offers relief to state and local governments, individuals, small and large businesses, and hospitals affected by the coronavirus crisis.

The emergency relief package includes direct payments to Americans, expanded unemployment insurance, aid to large and small businesses, and significant funding for the health care industry.

The Senate and White House worked through an agreement on a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package early Wednesday morning. The agreement means Congress could be close to passing a deal.

Members are pushing to change the tradition of in-person voting because of coronavirus. Remote voting would take time to set up; it would be faster to have one member vote on behalf of many others.

The House speaker said a Senate agreement could be "done in the next few hours." The remarks are a boost for an approximately $2 trillion deal to revitalize an economy hobbled by the outbreak.

Economics, politics and science correspondents round up new developments in the federal response to the coronavirus crisis, including President Trump's comments during an afternoon press conference.

Three members of Congress have tested positive; more than a dozen are in quarantine. A move to remote voting would break a longtime institutional tradition of voting in person.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer negotiated late into the night with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and spoke hopefully of a deal coming together on Tuesday.

"There is a health risk of having all of us in the Capitol at the same time," said one congressman. Electronic communications have improved since remote voting was considered in the early 1990s.

The bill, which still needs to be negotiated with Senate Democrats, provides direct cash payments, loan guarantees for impacted businesses and more resources for testing and development of vaccines.

The Senate approved a new package earlier Wednesday providing paid sick leave and boosting testing for the coronavirus.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said discussions included payments to small businesses, loan guarantees for industries like airlines and hotels, and a stimulus package for workers.

The House is in recess, but senators return to Washington this week to take up the House-passed financial aid bill to address the economic threat to workers posed by the coronavirus.

President Trump met with Senate Republicans Tuesday on Capitol Hill to discuss economic measures to boost markets that have been battered by uncertainty around coronavirus.

The focus remains on keeping Congress open. There haven't been any discussions of shutting down public galleries or limiting tours.

The Utah senator had been wavering as to whether to agree to a subpoena for an ongoing inquiry. A spokeswoman said Romney had been assured the process would not be a "public spectacle."

The emergency funding deal is the result of bipartisan negotiations in both the House and the Senate. The measure is expected to be sent to the president's desk soon.

Lawmakers voiced concern Friday about the Trump administration's messaging on the outbreak. They backed the medical response, but pressed for more information and test kits from public health experts.