Pelosi, Trump trade blame on COVID-19 stimulus talks; Senate Republicans on sidelines
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday it still was possible to get another round of COVID-19 aid before the Nov. 3 general election, but that it was up to President Donald Trump to act, including bringing along reluctant Senate Republicans.
Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin countered that Pelosi must compromise to get an aid package, saying significant differences remained between the Republican administration and Democrats.
“Now we’re talking and we’ll see what happens but at this moment I would say that I actually think Nancy would rather wait ‘til after the election,” Trump told reporters in an Oval Office appearance together with Mnuchin.
“If she wants to compromise, there will be a deal,” Mnuchin said.
Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, has been negotiating with Mnuchin to try to reach an agreement that could be worth around $2 trillion before the presidential and congressional election.
Congressional committees and staff will work on a possible deal through the weekend, and Pelosi and Mnuchin “will speak again once additional progress is made,” Pelosi’s spokesman, Drew Hammill, wrote on Twitter Friday evening.
Reference: Reuters
Thai
Eng