Trump Willing To Sign $1.3 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Bill, Chief Of Staff Says

TOPLINE

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Friday that President Trump would be willing to sign a $1.3 trillion coronavirus relief bill, according to multiple news reports—that’s slightly higher than the GOP’s original $1 trillion proposal, but nowhere near the $2.2 trillion compromise that Democrats have offered. 

members of the press outside the West Wing of the White House on August 28, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images

KEY FACTS

According to Reuters, Meadows said the $1.3 trillion bill was offered to Democrats privately. 

In their first conversation in weeks, Meadows and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spoke for 25 minutes via phone on Thursday but did not make any progress towards reaching an agreement. 

Meadows described the call as “25 minutes of nothing,” Fox Business reported, and Pelosi said in a statement that the conversation made it clear that “the White House continues to disregard the needs of the American people.”

Pelosi also said Thursday that Democrats were “not budging” on their latest offer.

Meadows’ comments on Friday afternoon are the latest iteration of an ongoing blame game between the two camps, both of which have continually portrayed the other as unwilling to compromise. 

Big number

Five weeks. That’s how long it’s been since the last of the $600 weekly unemployment checks went out. After the original CARES Act benefit expired, President Trump created a new program that will allow states to send out $300 weekly checks. Only a handful of states have begun sending out the new payments so far. 

Tangent 

GOP lawmakers—who have been largely absent from negotiating meetings between Meadows, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)—have also been preparing a “skinny” version of their original proposal. That bill would be worth roughly $500 billion and exclude some more expensive provisions like another round of stimulus payments. Given Democrats’ insistence on a larger price tag, however, it isn’t likely that the new GOP bill will become law. 

Further reading

Pelosi Says Democrats Are ‘Not Budging’ As Second Stimulus Gridlock Wears On (Forbes)

Stimulus Update: White House’s Meadows Says He’s Reached Out To Pelosi To Restart Talks (Forbes)

Kudlow Promises ‘Targeted, Sensible Help’ But GOP’s Pared-Down Bill Isn’t Gaining Traction With Democrats (Forbes)

$300 Weekly Unemployment Payments Are ‘Too Little Too Late’ To Prop Up August Spending, Goldman Sachs Says (Forbes)

Follow me on