Pelosi ‘starting to write’ stimulus bill after being blasted by Trump over deal delay
HOUSE Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that they’re starting to put “pen to paper in certain easier parts of the bill” – after being blasted by President Donald Trump over the delay.
At her daily press briefing, Pelosi said she is “pleased” at where they’re at right now and added that both sides are at close to reaching a coronavirus stimulus deal.
The House Speaker will continue her talks with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Thursday in regard to a stimulus package agreement.
Pelosi said she is still “optimistic” that both sides can reach a deal soon – but cautioned that passing it into law will take time as she and the Trump administration try to resolve outstanding issues.
“If we can resolve some of these things in the next few days, it’ll take a while to write the bill,” Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol but added that they’re putting “pen to paper in certain easier parts of the bill.”
On Wednesday, President Trump blasted Pelosi and Chuck Schumer over the delay of the bill, “Just don’t see any way Nancy Pelosi and Cryin’ Chuck Schumer will be willing to do what is right for our great American works. Or our wonderful USA itself, on Stimulus,” he tweeted.
“Their primary focus is BAILING OUT poorly run (and high crime) Democrat cities and states.
“Should take care of our people. It wasn’t their fault that the Plague came in from China!”
Pelosi said that both sides have still not come to an agreement in regards to how much money should be allocated toward school, aid to state and local governments, liability protection for businesses and funding for the US Census and election systems.
However, Pelosi said she believes “both sides want to reach an agreement” during what she called a “serious attempt” to provide aid.
“We can do something great, and I’m still optimistic that we can do that,” she said.
The House Speakers optimism comes as the White House vowed on Wednesday to push hard for a Covid-19 stimulus bill worth about $2trillion.
Although, the chances of such a relief bill getting through both chambers of Congress is slim as Senate Republicans are hesitant on passing such a large bill.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows insisted that President Trump is “willing to lean” on Republican Senators to pass a stimulus bill with a substantial price tag.
“Let’s get help going to the American people,” Meadows said in a morning appearance on Fox News.
Democrats are angling for a stimulus bill in the range of $2.4trillion that would renew federal unemployment benefits, issue $1,200 personal checks to most American taxpayers and give aid to local and state governments.
Earlier this month, Pelosi rejected the White House’s $1.8trillion relief package – saying the bill “wasn’t passable.”
Most read in News
“It wasn’t passable, it didn’t crush the virus, it didn’t do any of the things it was supposed to do,” the House Speaker said Thursday.
However, legislation won’t move anywhere unless Mitch McConnell and his Senate majority offer support.
McConnell said Tuesday he would “consider at some point” any deal that could win approval from Trump and Democrats.