Congressional Democrats, White House Cite Progress in Talks on Coronavirus Bill
The top Democrats in the U.S. Congress and White House negotiators on Monday said they had made progress in talks on a new coronavirus relief bill, though the administration said President Donald Trump could act alone…
The top Democrats in the U.S. Congress and White House negotiators on Monday said they had made progress in talks on a new coronavirus relief bill, though the administration said President Donald Trump could act alone if no deal is reached.
A key sticking point remains what to do about the $600-per-week enhanced unemployment benefit, a key lifeline for the tens of millions of Americans thrown out of work during the pandemic, which expired on Friday.
“We’re making some progress on certain issues, moving closer together,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters after Monday’s talks. “There are a lot of issues that are still outstanding. But I think there is a desire to get something done as soon as we can.”
Schumer, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spent about two hours in talks on Capitol Hill. Mnuchin reported “a little bit of progress” in the talks.
“We’re open to a bigger package if we can reach an agreement,” Mnuchin told reporters. But Meadows later shot down that idea.
Congressional Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on next moves, with Democrats standing behind a $3 trillion plan that passed the House in May and Republicans raising concerns over their own $1 trillion proposal laid out by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last week.
McConnell, who has not joined the bipartisan negotiations, blamed Pelosi and Schumer for the lack of a deal.
“The Democratic leaders insist publicly they want an outcome. But they work alone behind closed doors to ensure a bipartisan agreement is actually not reached,” he said on the Senate floor.