White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of rejecting Republicans’ latest bargain of a $1.3 trillion coronavirus aid package that would include a boost in unemployment insurance,extra help for small businesses, funding for schools, childcare, and hospitals.
“We brought up the number. I had a conversation with Speaker Pelosi. And even on her $2.2 trillion counteroffer she can’t tell the American people nor me what is in that,” Meadows said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “She puts forth a number, suggests that she came down, and yet she’s willing to turn down $1.3 trillion of help that goes to the American people because she would rather them have nothing than to give way on what her fantasy might be.”
The rejected number is an adjustment on behalf of the White House, which had originally supported a relief package closer to $1 trillion. Meadows thinks the original number, if agreed upon, could pass the Senate.
“That would require Sen. Schumer, as you know, anything in the Senate requires both Democrats and Republicans,” he explained. “But Speaker Pelosi, if she worked with Chuck Schumer, I can tell you all of those things that I just mentioned are available for the American people, and Speaker Pelosi is saying no.”
In the beginning of August, the negotiations about a potential relief package began to crumble. Two of the major points the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on were state and local funding, and unemployment.
Of course, Pelosi blames President Trump for the stalled negotiations. During her appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” last week she said, “More than 4 million have been added to the infection list because we paused. Over 80,000 more people have died, because they paused… Trump fiddles while Rome burns, while America burns.”
