White House, Congressional Democrats Harden Stances on Coronavirus Relief
Top congressional Democrats and White House officials appeared to harden their stances on new coronavirus relief legislation on Wednesday, as negotiations headed toward an end-of-week deadline with no sign of an…
Top congressional Democrats and White House officials appeared to harden their stances on new coronavirus relief legislation on Wednesday, as negotiations headed toward an end-of-week deadline with no sign of an agreement.
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters after nearly two hours of talks that Democrats were determined to reach agreement on a legislative package but only if it met the needs of an American public reeling from months of restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of infections.
Another key negotiator, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, told CNN that President Donald Trump stood ready to take unilateral action on unemployment benefits and protection from evictions if Democrats and Republicans were unable to reach an agreement on how to proceed.
“If Congress can’t get it done, the president of the United States will,” he told CNN.
The two sides remained trillions of dollars apart in their negotiating positions after more than a week of discussions between Pelosi, Meadows, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Senate Republicans have been told that negotiators have until Friday to reach agreement. “If there’s not a deal by Friday, there won’t be a deal,” Republican Senator Roy Blunt told reporters.
Pelosi suggested she did not accept that timeframe.
“I feel optimistic that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but how long that tunnel is remains to be seen,” Pelosi said.
Negotiators have already blown past one deadline: last Friday, when enhanced unemployment payments of $600 a week expired for the tens of millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in the pandemic.