Critical week ahead for stimulus bill

WASHINGTON (KYMA, KECY/CNN)- With the election just fifteen days away, Stimulus negotiators face a fast-approaching deadline to resolve key differences and deliver a sweeping coronavirus relief package to the American people before Election Day.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday set a Tuesday deadline for her and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to reconcile significant policy disputes if they want to pass a relief bill before November 3.

That time frame brings enormous pressure for a fast breakthrough that will have implications for millions of Americans struggling with the fallout of a still-raging pandemic.

However, a deal has evaded negotiators for months as the Trump administration and Pelosi have been hundreds of billions of dollars apart on topline numbers -- as well as what should be included, and it's unclear if those key sticking points can be resolved before Pelosi's deadline.

Pelosi expressed optimism in a letter to House Democrats on Sunday that a deal can be reached, but the hurdles facing each stage of what would be necessary to get something actually passed are numerous and each about a mile high. The best-case scenario, people involved say, is Pelosi and the administration strike some kind of deal in principle that could be drafted and considered after the election. But given the outstanding issues, even that will be quite a feat in the next 24 hours, people involved say.

House Democrats will hold a private caucus conference call that will include an update on where things stand.

Pelosi and Mnuchin are scheduled to speak by phone Monday afternoon.