White House, Congress head toward new round of COVID-19 talks as pressure grows

FILE PHOTO: Republicans stand and applaud as Democrats remain in their seats as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his second State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pressure mounted on Tuesday on congressional Democrats and the White House to reach a deal on a new round of coronavirus relief as the economy reeled from the growing financial and human toll of a pandemic that has killed more than 156,000 Americans.

After a week of almost daily negotiations and with no deal in sight, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer sought to underscore progress that has been made by saying that he, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows have moved closer in several areas.