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- US President Donald Trump doesn’t “see any way” Democrats and Republicans will agree a stimulus package, he tweeted Thursday evening.
- He accused the Democrats of holding out for funding to “bail out poorly run (and high crime) Democrat cities and states.”
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said earlier Thursday that negotiations between herself and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were “just about there,” but that two sticking points remain.
- Even if Pelosi and Mnuchin agree a deal, Senate Republicans could block the multi-trillion dollar stimulus package before Election Day.
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President Donald Trump said Wednesday he doesn’t “see any way” Democrats and Republicans will agree on a stimulus deal, despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remaining optimistic about finalizing a funding package before Election Day.
In a tweet Thursday evening, he tried to pin the blame for a potential deadlock in stimulus discussions on Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Pelosi is proposing a $2.2 trillion package, while the Trump administration is offering $1.88 trillion — although Trump has said he’d like an even bigger deal than what Pelosi has offered.
“Just don’t see any way Nancy Pelosi and Cryin’ Chuck Schumer will be willing to do what is right for our great American workers, or our wonderful USA itself, on Stimulus,” the president posted on Twitter.
“Their primary focus is BAILING OUT poorly run (and high crime) Democrat cities and states,” he said. This likely refers to the $500 billion Democrats want for state and local governments
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2020
A phone call between Pelosi and Mnuchin on Thursday brought the pair "closer to being able to put pen to paper to write legislation," a spokesman for Pelosi said.
After their discussion, Pelosi told reporters in a press conference that negotiations in reaching a compromise were "just about there," adding: "We've made good progress this week."
But she said two sticking points remained.
The first is that the White House is resisting Democrats' proposal of $500 billion for state and local governments, which Trump seemingly referred to in his tweet.
The second: Democrats have rejected Republicans' demands for liability protections for businesses open during the pandemic.
Later on Thursday, Pelosi said that Democrats had sent "some stuff back over" to the administration and she expected top committee chairs "will resolve some differences, but that hasn't happened yet," per The New York Times.
Pelosi said Tuesday that she found "common ground" with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and that "both sides are serious about finding a compromise."
However, Senate Republicans warned Tuesday they would most likely block any deal worth $1.8 trillion or higher.
The multi-trillion dollar stimulus could provide a lifeline to Americans struggling during the pandemic. A Fed study published Friday revealed that US renters could owe an estimated $7.2 billion in unpaid rent by December because of COVID-related job losses.