Dems endorse bipartisan COVID bill as starting point

Congressional Democratic leaders -- who just this past August were pushing for $3.4 trillion in new coronavirus relief aid -- made a significant concession on Wednesday and insisted that the $908 billion bipartisan aid plan unveiled this week be the basis for immediate negotiations.

The move comes after months of failed talks and with a budget deadline fast approaching..

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, to immediately engage with Democrats.

But their endoresement came as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said President Donald Trump supported a much smaller proposal put forth by McConnell - after McConnell rejected the bipartisian plan.

"The president will sign the McConnell proposal that he put forward yesterday. We look forward to making progress on that."

McConnell's proposal is very close to the legislation that the Senate leader has been touting for months and was rejected by Democrats, according to one Senate Republican source. Schumer blasted the plan as a non-starter.

"The Republican leader should not waste the Senate's time on another inadequate, partisan proposal and instead should sit down with Democrats to begin a true bipartisan effort to quickly meet the needs of the country."

Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden met virtually with workers and small business owners whose lives have been turned upside down as a result of the pandemic.

"We don't want to be staying here, home, on unemployment. We want to be working."

Biden used the Wednesday event to once again implore democrats and republicans to work together

"This isn't a political game. This impacts real people's lives and families... So I've been urging our congressional republicans to work on a bipartisan emergency package now."

Adding to the pressure, the two parties face a Dec. 11 deadline to pass a $1.4 trillion budget or risk a shutdown of the government.