WASHINGTON — Congress is inching closer to finalizing a massive COVID-19 relief deal as the deadline for when the government runs out of money weighs on lawmakers. Congressional leaders said they are not going anywhere until a deal is done and they are closing in on $900 billion relief package.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas told Spectrum News he is confident a stimulus relief deal will come together before the end of the week. There are non-contentious parts like the renewal of the Paycheck Protection Program, which the state’s senior Republican senator said has been updated to better target small businesses and nonprofits, but other issues remain unresolved.

“There's 20% more I'd like to do, but I'd rather take the 80% and run with it than end up with nothing,” Cornyn said.

He added that the ongoing negotiations include an additional $300 per week in unemployment benefits and $600 in direct payments to eligible Americans – half the size of stimulus checks provided to Americans in March. Under the CARES Act, individual adults making less than $75,000 received checks up to $1,200. Congress is considering limiting eligibility this round.

“I’ve heard that roughly people making $50,000 or less would be eligible for this additional $600 payment. That was not the case before. It was a higher number, and so as you can see, we're trying to target it to those folks who need it the most,” Cornyn said.

The two major sticking points in discussions are largely the same: state and local funding and liability protections for companies, universities, and medical facility. The latter was something Cornyn was an early supporter of and other Republicans, including the majority leader, have been pushing for it as well. Cornyn said they are not giving up on the liability shield, because after “the new administration takes over,” there are expectations of additional aid.

“This is not blanket immunity. It's targeted to try to weed out folks who in good faith tried to follow the guidelines, but as you know, the guidelines have changed over time…” he said.

Texas received $11.24 billion from the CARES Act. The U.S. Treasury managed the initial distribution of $3.2 billion to states and local entities with populations above 500,000. There are still billions of dollars remaining for the state. When asked what he believed state officials should be spending that funding on, Cornyn said, “It’s a complex answer to a simple question,” adding there many needs in the state, whether it is funding for schools, testing, and COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

“We were worried that [Gov. Greg Abbott] had to use it by the end of the year. That's what the current law is. But we're going to extend that deadline and provide more flexibility so that money can go further. We'll come back and we'll revisit that issue of state and local aid. What we didn't want to do is be the piggy bank for states and local jurisdictions who have not been fiscally responsible,” Cornyn said.

A new holdup emerged late in relief talks. There has been bipartisan support for live performance venues, but lawmakers are trying to figure out what other shuttered businesses should get federal grants like museums or zoos. Cornyn introduced the Save Our Stages Act earlier this year, aimed at providing relief to music and entertainment venues.

"As it naturally happens, once people begin to see something likely to pass like that, they want to add other groups,” Cornyn said. “I have no objection if we want to put more money into helping these other deserving entities, but we can't leave these entertainment venues behind, which was the original impetus for our bill.”

At a vaccine distribution event Thursday, Gov. Abbott said he was not going to allow any more shutdowns in Texas. Cornyn said he agreed with him.

“I think we've seen states like California and New York, basically create these lockdowns, which I think are a substitute for personal responsibility,” he said.