House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called on the Trump administration to fix the remaining disputes on coronavirus stimulus legislation.
Pelosi has given lawmakers a 48-hour deadline in an attempt to pass a bill before the 2020 presidential election. Democrats put the deadline in place after Pelosi spoke with Treasury Secretary Steen Mnuchin on Saturday Night. They pair agreed to negotiate again on Monday.
“The 48 only relates to if we want to get it done before the election, which we do,” Pelosi told ABC’s ‘This Week.'” “But we’re saying to them we have to freeze the design on some of these things. Are we going with it or not? And what is the language? I’m optimistic, because again we’ve been back and forth on all this.”
Talks of a new stimulus package have dragged on for months as millions of Americans remain unemployed. Pelosi is turning up the heat on the Trump administration to cut a deal by Tuesday. If the two sides can’t agree, a bill won’t be passed in the House and Senate by November 3.
Republicans ‘Weakening Language’ of Democrats’ Proposal
Last week, Mnuchin said the White House wouldn’t let differences in funding for coronavirus testing derail stimulus talks. However, Nancy Pelosi says Republicans are weakening the language on testing and tracing which will create a “slush fund” for the administration.
Further, she says the White House has removed 55 percent of the language in the Heroes Act on testing and tracing. This comes despite their promises to accept the language with a “light touch.”
“Especially disappointing was the elimination of measures to address the virus’s disproportionate and deadly impact on communities of color,” the House speaker wrote. “The White House does not appreciate the need to direct resources to culturally competent contact tracing.”
A $2.2 trillion relief bill has already been passed by Democrats in House. However, they rejected the Trump Administration’s latest $1.8 trillion proposal as not enough.
Meanwhile, the pressure is on to strike a deal for Democrats and Republicans to strike a deal. With unemployment at an all-time high and an epidemic of small-business closures, the time for compromise is now.
