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McConnell says he is ‘prepared to support’ coronavirus aid deal when Democrats, White House strike one

  • August 04, 2020

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expects to back a coronavirus relief deal when Democrats and the Trump administration reach one, even if he opposes pieces of it, the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday. 

“Wherever this thing settles between the president of the United States and his team, that have to sign it into law, and the Democrat not insignificant minority in the Senate and majority in the House, is something I’m prepared to support even if I have some problems with certain parts of it,” he told reporters after the weekly Senate Republican policy lunch, which White House negotiators Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and chief of staff Mark Meadows attended.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will meet with the two Trump administration officials at 3:30 p.m. ET as they attempt to hash out a pandemic aid package. The sides appear to have resolved few of the thorny issues at stake in the talks, even though more than a week has passed since Republicans unveiled a counteroffer to the legislation Democrats passed in May.

The parties have come close to a consensus in only a few areas, such as extending funding for Paycheck Protection Program loans for small business, an administration official told CNBC on Monday night. Mnuchin has said Democrats and the GOP agreed on the need to send another direct payment of up to $1,200 to Americans. 

But neither side has budged on plans for extending extra federal unemployment insurance or offering relief to budget-crunched state and local governments, among other topics. Negotiators have failed to crack the impasse even after the $600-per-week jobless benefit and a moratorium on evictions from federally backed housing expired. The end of both policies puts millions of Americans at risk of poverty or homelessness during an economic collapse.

As the stalemate drags on, it appears unlikely Congress can pass a rescue package before the end of next week. Pelosi told Democrats on Monday she does not expect an agreement until next week, according to Politico.

McConnell criticized Democrats earlier on Tuesday for what he called a refusal to move toward a deal. He said that after talks with Mnuchin and Meadows during the last eight days, Pelosi and Schumer have said they are optimistic about an agreement but have never come closer to one. 

“Every day the Democratic leaders repeat the same act here in the Capitol they’re letting down the struggling people who need our help,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. 

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/04/coronavirus-stimulus-bill-updates-talks-on-unemployment-evictions-continue.html

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