Democrats close to deal with Republicans on new coronavirus response bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer, said on Sunday that he is close to reaching a deal with Republicans on a new coronavirus response bill.

“We’ve made very good progress and I’m very hopeful we can come to an agreement tonight or early tomorrow morning,” Schumer said in an interview with CNN.

Minutes earlier, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin gave a similar assessment on the progress of the bill, which would significantly expand the Small Business Administration’s loan program for small businesses.

(Reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)