Trump’s $ 1.8 trillion stimulus plan faces opposition from Pelosi and Senate GOP
“At this point, we still have disagreements on a number of priorities, and the Democrats are waiting for the language from the administration on a number of rules as negotiations on the overall finances continue,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to House Democrats on Saturday.
In a conference call Saturday with Treasury Secretary Steven Munuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, several sources reported that the Senate Republicans had exploded the White House offer of $ 1.8 trillion to Speaker Pelosi.
They went through a number of GOP concerns, including state and local finance and the overall price tag.
Despite the feeling that talks with Pelosi should continue, it was clear that the GOP-controlled Senate was unlikely to pass on the White House plan.
Sen. of the Republican Party of Florida. Rick Scott told Munuchin and Meadows that “I didn’t get it” when it came to why the White House was on its current track, according to two sources familiar with the call. Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn said it was a “death knell” for the Senate Republican majority and would help “exclude” the site three weeks before the election.
Sen, one of the most respected and esteemed members of the conference. Lamar told Alexander, Meadows and Munuchin that he was “not hungry” to spend the White House floating numbers.
Sen. of the Utah Republican Party. Mike Lee said that if an agreement was to be reached, it could completely bury the focus on Trump’s Supreme Court appointment – which should be the focus of the White House and Senate Republicans.
Lawn and Munich pointed out that they were commenting on Trump.
Sources close to the call said that after providing that information, Lawn told them after receiving all the criticism that “you all have to come to my funeral”. Munuchin admitted that it would get very bad.
Republican senators were not shaken by those comments.
In the wake of the call, several GOP senators sharply criticized Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, two sources said, adding that he had gone too far in seeking congressional approval for economic relief and that he had gone out of his way to make his demands public.
The president said Friday he would like to see a bigger stimulus than what is currently being floated by Democrats or his administration, but Republicans in Congress are opposed to a price tag of more than $ 1 trillion or any new aid. Senate Republicans are united behind the $ 500 billion price tag.
Pelosi has repeatedly argued that the real legislative language – and where that language directs funding – has become the most important aspect of any deal, especially when it comes to funding states and regions with significant budget deficits, a key sticky point for the Trump administration.
In his letter on Saturday, Pelosi rejected Trump’s proposal, saying that he would like more money of his own to deliver and stop, rather than accept the language that suggests “how we respect our workers, suppress the virus and put money in workers’ pockets.”
The Democrat leader is “optimistic” that despite these “unnoticed concerns” Friday’s progress will be closer to an agreement on a relief package.
The story was updated Saturday with additional improvements.