White House, Dems 'very close' to deal to aid virus-hit businesses

The White House and congressional Democrats said Sunday they could reach agreement soon on expanding funds to small businesses devastated by the coronavirus, with Democrats hoping to add money for hospitals, testing and state governments.

"We're very close," Vice President Mike Pence told talkshow Fox News Sunday about negotiations on replenishing the Paycheck Protection Program whose entire $349 billion funding was exhausted by last Thursday.

"We're going to work to expand that so that no one working in a small business in America would have to worry about missing a paycheck." President Donald Trump has insisted his administration will do right by millions of American families and businesses ravaged by a pandemic that has infected 735,000 people in the United States, 39,000 of whom have died.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed hope a deal could be reached and passed by Congress in the coming days.

"I think we're very close to a deal today," Mnuchin told CNN's State of the ...