As Americans are fully aware, Congress has been unable to come to an agreement on another coronavirus stimulus package. But, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, he’s “hopeful” that he can reach a deal with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on this matter, per CNBC. This update comes after months of failing stimulus negotiations, with both Democrats and Republicans laying the blame on the other side for this impasse.
On Wednesday, Mnuchin said that he would discuss the topic of a second stimulus package with Pelosi again. He even noted that he is “hopeful” that they can come to an agreement on the subject. “I say we’re going to give it one more serious try to get this done and I think we’re hopeful that we can get something done,” he said during the Delivering Alpha conference presented by CNBC and Institutional Investor. “I think there is a reasonable compromise here.”
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Mnuchin continued to say that he hopes to come to a place of “understanding” with Pelosi by Thursday. He will reportedly bring an offer to the speaker that will resemble a roughly $1.5 trillion bipartisan House Problem Solvers caucus proposal that was put forward earlier in September.
It should be noted that Pelosi previously rejected this offer. That legislation would include $450 per week in enhanced unemployment benefits that would cover an eight-week transition period. It would also include another round of $1,200 stimulus checks, more Paycheck Protection Program small business loan funding, and other provisions. Like Mnuchin, Pelosi recently expressed a hopeful attitude when it came to the subject of stimulus negotiations. In an interview with MSNBC, she said that she was “hopeful” that they could come to an agreement and added, “We’ll just see what they come back with today and how our negotiations go next.”
This optimistic note from both Mnuchin and Pelosi is a far cry from how the two lawmakers addressed the matter earlier in the month. In early September, Pelosi said that she had a phone conversation with Mnuchin about a second stimulus package, but it did not prove to be a successful one. At the time, she noted that the Democrats and Republicans have a major disagreement when it comes to the total price point of a package. She said, “Sadly, this phone call made clear that Democrats and the White House continue to have serious differences understanding the gravity of the situation that America’s working families are facing.”
