'Lame duck' U.S. Congress to grapple with coronavirus aid, budget bills

The push in the U.S. Congress for a major new coronavirus aid bill got a post-election boost on Wednesday when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put his weight behind passage by the end of this year and opened the door to considering a key Democratic priority. While candidates elected to the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives will not be sworn in until Jan. 3, the Congress that has been in business since January 2019, will return to Washington next week for a "lame duck" session that is expected to extend well into December. McConnell, the top Republican in Congress who sailed to reelection on Tuesday, said on Wednesday that passage of a new coronavirus aid bill was a top priority of that session.