Amid stalled bipartisan talks for a second coronavirus stimulus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave Donald Trump’s White House a 48-hour deadline to come to an agreement for a forthcoming bill. As reported by The Hill , she allegedly spoke to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Saturday night, and the pair agreed that the legislation needs to be addressed within the next two days.
Pelosi appeared on ABC’s This Week on Sunday and discussed the negotiation in more detail.
“The 48 only relates to if we want to get it done before the election, which we do. I’m optimistic because, again, we’ve been back and forth on all of this.”
According to Pelosi, whether Americans get financial relief before Election Day rests in the hands of Trump’s administration. As reported by CNN , she specifically pointed to language referring to testing and tracing that was removed by the GOP and claimed that she and her allies are seeking clarification on the changes.
In a tweet that addressed Pelosi and Mnuchin’s call, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, touched on this issue in further detail.
“While there was some encouraging news on testing, there remains work to do to ensure there is a comprehensive testing plan that includes contact tracing and additional measures to address the virus’ disproportionate impact on communities of color,” he tweeted.
Hammill echoed Pelosi and claimed that the responsibility falls on the White House to address the conflicts remaining in the legislation.
Trump, who has not spoken to Pelosi in over a year, has encouraged a stimulus deal before November’s election. As The Inquisitr reported, Pelosi said she remains open to a conversation in the future, but has claimed that the president is not a productive negotiator.
According to Pelosi, she has accomplished more during her talks with Mnuchin and other administration officials.
One remaining roadblock to new COVID-19 aid bill is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has opposed the $1.8 trillion deal and plans to force a vote on a $500 billion proposal this week. In addition to opposing the deal proposed by the president’s administration, McConnell has opposed Democrats’ proposed bill.
Although the president has encouraged Mnuchin to go higher than the current $1.8 trillion proposal, McConnell has expressed opposition to this possibility. Notably, some Senate Republicans are allegedly concerned with the price tag of the current administration bill. These dissenters reportedly expressed their discontent during a call last weekend with Mnuchin and the president’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
