House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will keep the House in session until another round of COVID-19 stimulus passes through Congress.
Pelosi made the comments Tuesday morning during an interview on CNBC.
"We are committed to staying here until we have an agreement — an agreement that meets the needs of the American people," Pelosi said, according to CNN. "We're optimistic that the White House at least will understand that we have to do some things."
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, the chairman of the House Democratic caucus said during a press conference Tuesday that the caucus remains committed to staying in session until Congress passes a "meaningful" stimulus package.
The House is slated to remain in session through Oct. 2. Traditionally, lawmakers would then return to their districts to begin campaigning ahead of election day.
Congress has passed several COVID-19 stimulus bills since the pandemic reached the U.S. in February. However, key provisions of the largest stimulus bill, the CARES Act, expired weeks ago. Among those were $600 weekly benefits to those on unemployment.
Even though unemployment remains historically high in the U.S. both the House and Senate adjourned for their annual August break.
In May, the Democrat-led House passed the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion stimulus plan that would, among other things, extend unemployment benefits through the end of the year. That bill has not been considered for passage in the Senate.
During his press conference Tuesday, Jeffries said Democrats would be willing to cut the funding they proposed in the HEROES Act by a third. Republican Senators recently introduced a scaled-down stimulus package that was soundly defeated.
