Lawmakers rush to complete coronavirus relief before week’s end

(KYMA, KECY, CNN)- As top Washington negotiators reach for a long-delayed agreement on COVID-19 relief, Democrats appear increasingly resigned to having to drop a scaled-back demand for fiscal relief for states and local governments whose budgets have been thrown out of balance by the pandemic.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., spoke with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin by phone Monday evening and continues to press for help for struggling states and localities.

However, top Democratic allies of President-elect Joe Biden came out in support of a $748 billion plan offered by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and hinted they won't insist on a pitched battle for state and local aid now.

"We cannot afford to wait any longer to act. This should not be Congress' last COVID relief bill, but it is a strong compromise that deserves support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate," said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. "We cannot leave for the holidays without getting relief to those Americans who need it."