Infections of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States were on track to exceed 5 million Sunday as the White House and Congress clashed over how to extend economic relief measures for millions of Americans amid the pandemic’s economic fallout.
The virus continues to spread rapidly in nearly every major region of the country. States across the South and West are still fighting to contain surges of cases that began in the early summer, while others in the Midwest are grappling with new spikes.
As the infection milestone approached, congressional Democrats and White House officials sparred over President Trump’s new executive actions seeking to address the pandemic’s economic fallout. Negotiations over a third pandemic relief package have dragged on for weeks with scant signs of progress, and the dysfunction was on full display as officials traded barbs on Sunday morning news shows.