President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the White House is “ready to go” on the next stimulus bill, but “we can’t get Nancy Pelosi to sign the document.”
According to Forbes, Trump — who was hospitalized for three days while receiving treatment for COVID-19 — was most likely referring to the $1.8 trillion stimulus package set forth by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday, which Pelosi said “does not include acceptable measures for testing and tracing and lacks adequate funding for state and local governments, federal unemployment insurance, and childcare.” The offer is $400 billion less than the Democrats’ recently passed $2.2 trillion legislation.
According to the Washington Post, many GOP senators have denounced the $1.8 trillion bill because of its high price tag.
The outlet wrote, “The opposition was so fierce that Meadows told the group at one point, ‘You all will have to come to my funeral’ because he would have to take their message back to President Trump.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Pelosi Is ‘Hopeful’ an Agreement Will Be Reached
Pelosi said in a statement on October 10 that she is still “hopeful” a consensus will be reached and that both chambers of Congress will reach “an agreement on a relief package that addresses the health and economic crisis facing America’s families.”
She did, however, dismiss the White House’s proposal as taking “one step forward, two steps back.” Pelosi insisted the next stimulus package must include more spending for unemployment insurance and state and local aid.
“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.
GettyU.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In a recent article, CNET described the back and forth on stimulus package negotiations as “dizzying,” noting that in the course of one week, Trump told legislators to come up with a bill, told his team negotiations would be postponed until after the election, said he’d sign a standalone bill, then backpedaled once again and “encouraged negotiators to ‘go big’ on a new stimulus bill.” Speaking to radio host Rush Limbaugh over the weekend, Trump said, “I would like to see a bigger stimulus package frankly than either the Democrats or Republicans are offering.”
Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that “the discussion from day to day can be confusing for all of us to follow.”
What Is Contained in the $1.8 Trillion Package?
As it stands, the $1.8 trillion proposal includes $300 billion for cities and states, $400 weekly enhanced unemployment insurance benefits and stimulus checks that include $1,000 per child, higher than the $500 per child provided in the CARES Act.
While White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah has said they hope to keep the price under $2 trillion, it’s unclear if Senate Republicans would pass legislation that comes in at over $1 trillion.
Speaking to MSNBC on Friday afternoon, Pelosi said, “Because it is so necessary to meet the needs of the American people I do hope that we will have an agreement soon.”
But with opposition from both sides of the aisle, the window is narrowing for a coronavirus relief deal to pass before the election. Even if the White House and Democrats are able to reach an agreement on the overall price tag of a stimulus package, it will need to pass Senate Republicans to become law.
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