Dispute over testing delays COVID-19 relief package

A more than $450 billion agreement that would renew funding for a small-business loan program and boost aid for hospitals and COVID-19 testing is being held up by negotiations over several details, including how to structure ramped-up COVID-19 testing, according to The Wall Street Journal

The emerging agreement would include roughly $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion to expand COVID-19 testing. 

Lawmakers and the Trump administration are locked in negotiations over who takes the lead on expanded testing. Democrats are pushing for a plan that puts the federal government at the center, and the Trump administration wants states to take the lead on testing, according to WSJ

If lawmakers and the Trump administration reach an agreement on the details of the legislation, the bill could pass in the Senate on Tuesday and be up for a vote in the House on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Monday night, according to the report. 

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