Americans have been waiting for a stimulus bill update that would nail down a timeline for when an agreement may be reached. According to journalist Jake Sherman, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now states how a deal will most likely end up coming after the presidential election in November. Sherman went on to say that Pelosi lays the fault for this at the feet of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“I’m optimistic because even with what Mitch Mcconnell says, we don’t want to do it before the election, but let’s keep working so that we can do it after the election,” Pelosi is quoted as saying. The new comments come as Pelosi and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have engaged in negotiations over a new bill. The off-and-on talks have been taking place since August, with both sides walking away from the table on multiple occasions. McConnell had, at one point, stated that he would support whatever bill the White House agreed to, but he seems to have since changed his position. It’s been reported that he’s asked the Trump administration not to agree to any deal before Election Day.
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Very, very notable: @SpeakerPelosi is now pretty much conceding that the deal could likely slip until after the election — she blames McConnell.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 21, 2020
In a previous letter to her Democrat colleagues, Pelosi slammed the White House stimulus bill, calling it “grossly inadequate” and “wholly insufficient.” The letter also blasted Trump for not taking “the war against the virus seriously, personally or nationally.” Pelosi went on to say: “The news is filled with the numbers in terms of dollars.”
“The heart of the matter is: can we allow the virus to rage on and ignore science as the Administration proposes, or will they accept the scientific strategic plan in the Heroes Act to crush the virus,” Pelosi continued. “We have other differences in terms of who benefits from the spending. But in terms of addressing testing, tracing and treatment, what the Trump Administration has offered is wholly insufficient.”
While she was very displeased with the proposal, the California House Rep. added, “I remain hopeful that the White House will join us to work toward a relief package that addresses the health and economic crisis facing America’s families and will do so soon.” She very well may have been onto something there, as Mnuchin, who is the White House’s representative in the negotiations, has been open to keeping the discussions going until an agreement is reached.
