U.S. congressional leaders say near deal on more coronavirus funding

U.S. congressional leaders said on Tuesday they were very close to announcing an agreement with the Trump administration on a new coronavirus relief deal worth more than $450 billion, and the White House has signed off on a national testing strategy. "I believe we have a deal, and I believe that we will pass it this afternoon at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT)," Senate Democratic leader Schumer told CNN.

House of Representatives Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Fox that a deal had been reached. Aides to the leaders of the two chambers, Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, and the Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In his comments to CNN, Schumer said the package would include more money for small businesses and hospitals as well as the testing strategy to help states lift stay-at-home orders meant to slow the spread of the lethal respiratory disease. "We need a national strategy, as the governors have said, to get the kinds of testing that's done, to get the contact tracing, to make the tests free," Schumer said. He said Republican President Donald Trump - who has said testing is largely a state responsibility - had agreed.

Republicans and Democrats have been sparring over what to include in a fourth bill to ease the heavy economic toll of a pandemic that has killed more than 42,000 Americans. Republicans control the Senate. Aides cautioned there was no deal until they announce one.