President Donald Trump said Thursday that he had resumed negotiations with Democrats on new economic stimulus that could include
a $ 1,200 check
for Americans and aid for airlines.
But the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said she was only willing to discuss a broader aid package.
“I finished the negotiations two days ago because they were not working.
Now they are starting to work, we are beginning to have some very productive talks
, "Trump said during an interview on
Fox Business
.
[Follow our daily coverage on the coronavirus pandemic]
"We started talking again and we are talking about the airlines and an agreement greater than that, we are talking about 1,200 dollars per person and about other things," added the president in that interview.
Trump canceled negotiations for a new round of economic stimulus on Tuesday.
Only to say hours later that he supported some aspects of the bill that Democrats presented and that was rejected by Republicans last Friday.
Trump Retracts, Says He Will Sign Checks For $ 1,200 To Help With Coronavirus
Oct. 7, 202002: 22
On Tuesday night,
the president said on Twitter that he supported the idea of sending new stimulus checks of $ 1,200
and financial aid to the airline industry, as well as more loans from the Small Business Paycheck Protection Program.
"If you send me a separate bill for stimulus checks ($ 1,200), it will go out to our great people IMMEDIATELY. I'm ready to sign right now," he tweeted Tuesday night.
[Six keys to the worst employment crisis in the United States since the Great Depression]
However, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat of California
Nancy Pelosi, stressed that the aid for airlines must be accompanied by a broader measure,
including funding for more types of diagnostic tests for COVID-19, tracing and sanitation practices that Democrats claim are necessary as part of a national strategy to “squash the virus” and money for state and local governments, many of which face bankruptcy.
“There is no independent bill if there is not a comprehensive bill. There is no bill
, ”Pelosi said Thursday during her weekly press conference.
American Airlines announces that it plans to lay off nearly 19,000 workers due to the pandemic
Aug. 25, 202000: 50
Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have reached out by phone several times this week to discuss the feasibility of an aid bill for airlines, which have suspended pay for thousands of workers.
After exhausting the rescue resources of the CARES law, approved in March to counteract the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the country's main airlines have run out of funds to pay their payroll,
putting the pay of more than 50,000 in danger employees.
[Unemployment in the United States falls to 7.9% one month after the presidential elections]
After canceling negotiations on Tuesday, Trump asked Congress to “immediately” approve $ 25 billion for airlines, and $ 135 billion in loans for small businesses, to be financed with unspent funds from the first plan. stimulus.
Financial markets
reacted to the announcement of the end of the negotiations with marked losses.
However,
they recovered on Wednesday and Thursday
, fueled by the slight drop in the unemployment rate and the promise of a new economic aid package.
With information from NBC News and The Associated Press.
