The Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Nancy Pelosi
, Democrat of California, and the Secretary of the Treasury Department,
Steve Mnuchin
,
agreed to continue with the negotiations
to approve an economic stimulus package for the pandemic before the presidential elections.
“The President and Secretary Mnuchin spoke this Tuesday at 3:00 pm for approximately 45 minutes.
Their conversation provided more clarity and common ground as they move closer to a deal, ”Drew Hammil, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, tweeted Monday afternoon.
The announcement comes on the deadline Pelosi had set to reach an agreement on aid,
which may or may not include a check for $ 1,200 for Americans
, depending on the outcome of the negotiations.
Democrats set a 48-hour deadline for an agreement on economic aid for the pandemic
Oct. 18, 202000: 37
Pelosi clarified on Monday that the deadline that she herself imposed two days ago did not mean that a concrete agreement would be reached today, but that the necessary terms would be established to continue negotiating.
[A new relief package (including the expected second check for $ 1,200) is far from being finalized. We explain]
"Not that this day was the day we would come to an agreement," Pelosi said during an interview on Bloomberg.
“It was a day when we would have the terms on the table to be able to take the next step.
I insist, the legislation takes a long time ”.
Talks between Pelosi and Mnuchin will continue tomorrow
, as committee chairs in Congress are tasked with resolving differences over the level of funding and the language of the potential bill, Hammil added.
The approval of a new economic aid package has been shrouded in doubt
since the beginning of negotiations five months ago.
On the one hand, because the talks between the Democrats and the White House have dragged on for weeks without reaching a definitive deal.
And, on the other hand, because even if that agreement were to materialize, nothing ensures that the Republicans would approve it.
[Negotiations for a second check for $ 1,200 have taken five months. Why is aid still an uncertainty?]
While in public Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell
, Republican of Kentucky, said Tuesday that any economic stimulus bill that Pelosi and Mnuchin agreed on would go to a vote before the plenary session of that legislative chamber. ,
privately sent a very different message
.
"Okay, yes.
If a bill approved by the presidency goes through the lower house, we will eventually present it to the plenary, that's right, "McConnell told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
However, three sources with knowledge of the matter consulted by the news agency
The Associated Press
assured that
the Republican leader told his party colleagues that he had recommended to the White House not to reach an unequal agreement with Pelosi
, because it could divide them before the elections on November 3.
[What about the $ 1,200 check and why Pelosi accuses Trump of using it to her advantage]
McConnell would have made these statements during a private lunch with some of his coreligionists on Tuesday, according to sources at the agency who requested anonymity to speak freely.
Here's what to do if you haven't received your stimulus check yet
Sept.
22, 202002: 05
The Republican leader in the Senate has been reluctant to support a comprehensive economic aid package such
as the one proposed by the Democrats, which would cost the treasury about $ 2.2 billion and would include, among other things, a check for $ 1,200 for citizens and aid from $ 600 for the unemployed.
Instead,
McConnell is currently pushing for the approval of a 'slim' package worth about $ 500 billion
, less than a quarter of what Democrats are seeking.
This bill would not include the direct aid check for citizens.
[Trump changes his version and talks about a possible check for $ 1,200, hours after halting the aid negotiations]
However, the president has been in favor of an aid package closer to that of the Democrats in terms of its total amount, namely
$ 1.8 trillion
, which would include a new round of direct stimuli of $ 1,200, a idea that the president has repeatedly supported.
Trump, who is seeking reelection and ranks below his Democratic opponent Joe Biden in the most recent polls, went on to say on Tuesday that he would even favor a larger package than the Democrats.
“
I want to make it even bigger than the Democrats
.
Not all Republicans agree.
But they will be, ”said the president during an interview on Fox News this afternoon.
Meanwhile, McConnell has moved forward this week with voting on other Republican measures that have little chance of being approved by Democrats in the Lower House.
On Tuesday, the Senate will vote on another round of payroll subsidies for small and medium-sized businesses like restaurants and hotels, which have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic.
With information from The Associated Press and NBC News.
