WASHINGTON As the extra $600 in unemployment benefits expire on Saturday, talks between the White House and congressional leaders on extending all or a portion of it have devolved into an orgy of finger-pointing.

The Senate left town on Thursday after a lot of drama and no meaningful progress toward reaching consensus on an extension. With his Republican conference sharply divided on the issue, all Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky could do was set up a legislative vehicle in case a deal comes together next week.

House Democrats passed a bill in May that, among many other responses to the coronavirus pandemic , would extend the additional $600 a week from the federal government until the end of the year. But Senate Republicans dismissed that $3 trillion bill, calling it a socialist Democrat dream. Instead, they hit the brakes on passing further aid until a week before the ending of the extra jobless aid.

Negotiations between top congressional Democrats and White House officials havent gone anywhere, despite four rounds of talks on Capitol Hill. And instead of trying to find some consensus to avoid a lapse in the unemployment benefits, leaders from both parties are now selectively leaking information about negotiations to make the other side look worse.