DEAL TO FUND US GOV’T UNTIL DECEMBER LIKELY: MNUCHIN

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday (Monday, September 7, 2020 in Manila) said a deal between the White House and Congress would fund the federal government through the beginning of December and that details of the spending bill should be finalized by week’s end.

The measure would help avert a government shutdown when current funding runs out Sept. 30. Mnuchin and US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had agreed to extend funding, according to a Democratic aide, but details on the bill have yet to emerge, Susan Heavey reported for Reuters.

"We’re going to move forward with a clean CR (continuing resolution), hopefully through the beginning of December,” Mnuchin told reporters at the White House, adding: “I hope by the end of the week we’ll have something firmed up.”

The government funding bill would keep US agencies operating but would be separate from a parallel effort to provide another batch of financial aid amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. Pelosi, after a call with Mnuchin on the virus aid, said last week there were serious difference remaining between the Republican Trump administration and Democrats, who control the US House of Representatives.