Will there be a second COVID-19 stimulus relief plan, including a second round of stimulus checks? The chances for it diminished on October 10. That’s when the White House sweetened the pot to $1.8 trillion, but it didn’t go anywhere. What gives? Who’s responsible for the fact you haven’t gotten a second stimulus check yet?
The answer is both sides. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected the offer saying it didn’t do enough. However, she’s not the only opponent. Senate Republicans aren’t coalescing around that amount either. They think it’s too much.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow went on the Sunday talk shows and insisted the deal wasn’t dead. He believes Republicans will come around if Democrats do. That’s an open question, of course.
“No, I don’t think it’s dead at all,” said Kudlow, according to Vox. “I think if a deal can be reached, [Senate Republicans] will go along with it.” Vox opined that “in fact it has been the president’s own party presenting the biggest opposition to a deal.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper said to Kudlow that “20 Senate Republicans who were mad at [Treasury] Secretary [Steven] Mnuchin and saying that the proposal of $1.8 trillion was way too much,” according to The Hill. One of those Senate Republicans, The Hill reported, was Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) who called the White House proposal a “death ” for Republicans facing voters in November.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow says he doesn’t think the stimulus deal is dead, despite President Trump’s $1.8 trillion proposal facing opposition from Senate GOP. “I think if an agreement can be reached, they will go along with it” t.co/Viunv4eaxp #CNNSOTU
The concept of a second COVID-19 stimulus check is just one of the provisions being held up by the failure of Republicans and Democrats to reach agreement. The issue is that stimulus checks are folded into the broader plan, and that’s what the two sides haven’t been able to agree with, even though they have both side they support the idea of another round of checks, probably in the amount of $1,200 and $3,400 for a family of four.
Here’s what you need to know:
President Trump Has Urged a Standalone Approach to Stimulus Checks
GettyU.S. President Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass stimulus checks separately but that didn’t happen either. Trump can’t get the checks done on his own because the Constitution gave spending authority to Congress.
President Donald Trump tweeted this on Oct. 7: “If I am sent a Stand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200), they will go out to our great people IMMEDIATELY. I am ready to sign right now. Are you listening Nancy?” Pelosi didn’t embrace that approach either. The White House then offered on October 9 to come up to $1.8 trillion for the overall cost of a second stimulus relief plan. That’s the plan she shot down on October 10. Senate Republicans think it’s too high, Pelosi thinks it’s too low, and, thus, negotiations remain stalled.
On October 6, Trump wrote, “Nancy Pelosi is asking for $2.4 Trillion Dollars to bailout poorly run, high crime, Democrat States, money that is in no way related to COVID-19. We made a very generous offer of $1.6 Trillion Dollars and, as usual, she is not negotiating in good faith. I am rejecting their request, and looking to the future of our Country. I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business. I have asked…”
The election approaching could put a stop to things.
Pelosi Called the New White House Proposal ‘Two Steps Back’
GettySpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Republicans nearly doubled the amount they originally proposed, but Pelosi wasn’t having any of it. Thus, it’s not only Senate Republicans who oppose the proposal.
“This proposal amounted to one step forward, two steps back,” Pelosi said on October 10, according to CNBC.
“When the President talks about wanting a bigger relief package, his proposal appears to mean that he wants more money at his discretion to grant or withhold, rather than agreeing on language prescribing how we honor our workers, crush the virus and put money in the pockets of workers,” Pelosi said, adding, “Despite these unaddressed concerns, I remain hopeful that yesterday’s developments will move us closer to an agreement on a relief package that addresses the health and economic crisis facing America’s families.”
According to CNN, Pelosi also wrote: “At this point, we still have disagreement on many priorities, and Democrats are awaiting language from the Administration on several provisions as the negotiations on the overall funding amount continue.”
Democrats had previously approved a plan seeking $2.2 trillion.
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