A new attempt to bring the parties together in the negotiation process. President Donald Trump’s counteroffer of $1.8 billion for a stimulus package even makes some members of his party uncomfortable, so the possibility of the plan moving forward is uncertain.
This Friday, it was revealed that the president will present a bill to the spokeswoman of the majority in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, with a figure higher than the $1.6 billion disclosed earlier this week. CNN’s report indicates that any amount over $1 billion is not well received by Republicans, both in that legislative body and in the Senate.
This, moreover, remains less than the outlay on which the Democrats are betting.
Pelosi and the delegation they represent have been reluctant to accept new legislation unless it involves an allocation of money of at least $2.2 billion.
However, in an attempt to bring the parties closer together in the negotiating process and to bridge the gap between them, the President is preparing to submit the measure to the House for consideration.
Since last weekend, Trump has been referring to a new stimulus package without moving the process forward.
While he was hospitalized in Walter Reed, Maryland, with a diagnosis of coronavirus, the official sent out tweets asking members of Congress to approve new aid.
Although the details of the proposal are unclear at this time, Pelosi’s chief of staff, Drew Hammill, said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the Democrat spoke on the phone yesterday and he presented “a proposal that seeks to address some of the concerns that Democrats have.
“Of particular concern is the absence of agreement on a strategic plan to crush the virus,” Hammill said in a tweet. “For this and other povisions, we are still waiting for language from the Administration as negotiations on the total amount of funding continue.
Despite this, the most powerful Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, was doubtful yesterday about the possibility of any package being passed before the 2020 election.
“The situation is kind of murky, and I think the turbidity is a result of the proximity of the election,” McConnell told reporters at an event in Kentucky.
“And everyone is trying to elbow each other out for political gain. I want to see us get through that like we did in March and April, but I think it’s unlikely in the next three weeks,” he said.