Father Christmas, give us some money

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE FRI, DEC 18, 2020 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,   It's the last Friday before Christmas. The government will shut down in a few hours. And lawmakers still haven't reached deals on funding or Covid-19 relief money.   We're close, though. At least that's what leaders in Congress, particularly top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, tell us. It appears that the bargain will include direct payments to Americans, although probably at a lower level than the stimulus checks from earlier this year.   The agreement is also expected to include more unemployment insurance enhancements, as well as money to help distribute Covid vaccines. The debate over whether to also include state aid is likely going to resume once Joe Biden takes office in a month.   So what's the latest holdup?   GOP Sen. Pat Toomey doesn't want the next administration to restart Fed emergency lending programs that came about during the pandemic. Democrats accused him of looking to sabotage Biden, which Toomey denies. It's a pretty big detail to resolve. Yet even if lawmakers can figure it out within the next few hours, it still looks like Congress will be working into the weekend.   Tick tock.   Thoughts? Email Mike Calia at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.   Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.    Subscribe to CNBC's daily new podcast The News with Shepard Smith, which provides deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day's most important stories. Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Last-minute fight over the Fed's lending powers is hampering Covid stimulus deal Democrats are criticizing GOP Sen. Pat Toomey in the hopes he will drop stipulations about the Fed's lending programs. Congress struggles to seal final Covid relief, funding deal with shutdown hours away Congress has until Friday at midnight to avoid a government shutdown as lawmakers try to finalize a coronavirus relief package. Pelosi and McConnell will receive Covid vaccine soon as shots are reserved for senior U.S. officials The vaccine likely won't be available to the general public for months as Pfizer ramps up production of the vaccine. Vice President Mike Pence gets Covid vaccine, Fauci says 'I'm ready to go' Pence, his wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams got inoculated on live national television. Joe Biden warns he will be tough on state sponsors of cyberattacks, as U.S. suffers massive hack President-elect Joe Biden said the U.S. would join with allies to impose "substantial costs" on adversaries who engage in cyberattacks. Pro-gun groups far outspend gun control activists in tight Georgia Senate runoffs With control of the Senate at stake, gun rights groups are pouring millions of dollars in outside spending into the Jan. 5 runoff election in Georgia. Biden Energy secretary pick Jennifer Granholm has past ties to utilities, chemical companies Jennifer Granholm, Joe Biden's expected pick for Energy secretary, has past ties to energy and chemical firms. Trump says he will veto $740 billion defense bill, breaking with Republican-led Senate The bill, which typically passes with strong bipartisan support, authorizes a topline of $740 billion in spending and outlines Pentagon policy.     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS