Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows were on Capitol Hill on Saturday, where the couple also downplayed differences between Republicans and the administration over the package.
But disagreements, including clashes over the Trump administration’s push for a payroll tax cut, the unemployment insurance benefit and other proposals, forced majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) To delay the rollout of the Senate package last week.
The delays occur when a $ 600 increase in unemployment benefits begins to expire this weekend.
Republicans and the White House also disagree with House Democrats, who approved a $ 3 billion aid package in May.
In particular, Democratic leaders insist on a full extension of the unemployment benefits first assigned in March. The Trump administration has lobbied for unemployment payments that account for 70 percent of workers’ earnings.
“Workers and Americans understand the concept that you shouldn’t pay more to stay home than to work, that the fairest thing is to replace wages,” Mnuchin said. “And it just wouldn’t be fair to use taxpayer money to pay more people who feel at home than they would work … a job.”
Pressed by host Chris Wallace on the urgency of a deal with the expiration of unemployment insurance and other looming deadlines, Mnuchin again raised the possibility of addressing more difficult issues separately. The approach has been roundly rejected by the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
“We could consider making a full deal. We could also consider making parts,” Mnuchin said. “Obviously, the most pressing problems are the fact that unemployment insurance is running out. We have to make sure we don’t have frivolous demands for schools and universities. We want to make sure that with expired unemployment insurance we have the technical solution so that People are not paid more for staying home than for working. “
“We can act very quickly with the Democrats on these issues. We have moved quickly before and I see no reason why we cannot do it quickly again.”
