COVID-19 Stimulus Checks: Andrew Yang Urges Democrats to Accept $1.8 Trillion Deal

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who once proposed giving every American a $1,000 check per month, declared that he is “beyond disappointed” at the failure of Congress to get a second round of COVID-19 stimulus checks approved.

The negotiations have repeatedly stalled in the midst of counter proposals and wars on rhetoric as the election looms. In the latest salvo, the White House put forth a $1.8 trillion dollar proposal, but it was quickly denounced by Democrats as too little and by Republicans as too much.

Yang appeared on CNN to discuss the stimulus relief package, and he was pretty upset at both sides’ inability to reach a deal. It may be even less likely to happen with the presidential election around the corner as neither side may desire to give the other a perceived victory in voters’ minds.

Here’s what you need to know:

Yang Called the Inability to Reach a Deal ‘Infuriating’

Yang spoke on CNN on October 10. He’s a tech entrepreneur who was one of the Democratic candidates seeking the nomination that went to Joe Biden.

“It’s infuriating that so many Americans are hurting and we’re still waiting on a relief bill that should have been passed months ago,” Yang said on CNN.

On Twitter, Yang urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take the $1.8 trillion offer. “Nancy Pelosi take this deal! Put politics aside people are hurting,” he tweeted. Stimulus checks are hanging in the balance of the broader offer because, although both sides agree conceptually they’re needed, they haven’t agreed to split them out and handle them separately, although President Donald Trump did call on both sides to do just that.

Pelosi Rejected the Offer

GettyHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Despite Yang’s urging, the House Speaker had only harsh words for the $1.8 trillion offer.

Pelosi called it “one step forward, two steps back”

“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 wrote in a letter to House Democrats, according to CBS News. “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.”

It’s not only Democrats though. A large contingent of Senate Republicans has also balked at the $1.8 trillion figure, saying it’s too high.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow insisted Sunday that the deal wasn’t dead. He believes Republicans will come around if Democrats do.

“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.

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