Democrats Say They Lowered Demands But Coronavirus Relief Deal Still Not Looking Good
WASHINGTON ― Democrats and Republicans are accusing each other of being unwilling to compromise on another economic stimulus package, as negotiations on federal unemployment benefits are becoming increasingly hopeless.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the White House rejected her offer for a relief package totaling about $2.5 trillion ― $1 trillion less than legislation House Democrats passed in May, but about $1.5 trillion more than Senate Republicans proposed last month.
“They said absolutely not,” Pelosi told reporters Friday. “If we could do that, if we take down $1 trillion and they add $1 trillion, we’ll be within range.”
Friday’s report that the economy added more than 1 million jobs last month might complicate the negotiations, as President Donald Trump uses those numbers to declare economic victory over the coronavirus. The pace of job growth has slowed considerably, however, and the unemployment rate remains above 10%.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) pinned the blame for the impasse on Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows. He said Meadows was less flexible than the other administration negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Democrats cut a deal with Mnuchin in March, when Congress passed its $3 trillion CARES Act with nearly unanimous support.
“Basically what’s happening is Mr. Meadows is from the Tea Party ... and they don’t want to spend the necessary money,” Schumer said of the former Republican congressman, who chaired the hard-right House Freedom Caucus until 2019.
While Democrats suggested that the problem was Republican unwillingness to negotiate, Republicans said the same of Democrats.
“Pelosi and Schumer never wanted a deal,” a senior GOP aide told HuffPost on Friday. “It always $3.4 trillion or nothing. Those two have been around long enough to know that’s not how you make a compromise. It just doesn’t add up.”
Another senior GOP aide had a similar message, saying the...
