Republicans, Democrats owe blame for tough US legislation on coronavirus help

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top Democrats and Republicans accused each other of stopping talks on coronavirus legislation on Sunday, a day after the House approved $ 25 billion in new funds for the U.S. Postal Service, a bill that declared Republicans dead.

The Democratic-led House passed the bill on Saturday in a special session called by House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to prevent declining postal service funding and planned cuts in services from providing post-election votes for the three elections.

But the vote failed to shift stalemate over the next phase of coronavirus relief efforts since Aug. 6, when talks between the White House and Democratic congressmen broke over funding levels and unemployment benefits. First Chamber Leader Mitch McConnell said the Republican-controlled chamber would not “pass on” the mail.

White House staffer Mark Meadows on Sunday criticized the Democratic vote as “a largely messaging bill” and accused Pelosi of disagreeing over broader legislation that included additional unemployment benefits. However, he had reached Pelosi’s office on Saturday.

‘I have not heard the speaker yet. I’ll make her phone call today, ‘Meadows said on ABC’s This Week. “My challenge for the speaker of the morning would be this: If we agree on five or six things, then let’s move forward and pass them on.”

He said President Donald Trump would be ready to sign such a bill that includes reform and funding of postal services. The Trump administration had previously offered $ 10 billion in additional post-funding, but the two sides remain far apart over overall funding levels.

Pelosi shot back on CNN’s State of the Union, saying the post “addresses an emergency immediately and it’s something that needs to be bilingual.”

“The public is now asking for action on this,” Pelosi said.

She also said that Trump stood by emergency relief for cities and children for political gain, and signaled that negotiations were unlikely to make much progress during the Republican National Convention, which is due to begin this week.

‘This is like ancient Rome. “Trump fiddles while Rome burns, while America burns,” Pelosi said. “And Trump gives bread and circuses without the bread. We will see the circus with his convention this week.”

House Democrats passed a $ 3 trillion incentive bill in May, which included substantial support for state and local governments and an extension of $ 600-a-week in federal supplementary unemployment benefits, which have now expired. Pelosi has largely adhered to those demands in talks with Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The two Republican officials had initially offered only $ 1 trillion in new funds for coronavirus, without state and local assistance with only $ 400 a week in unemployment benefits. Trump has since signed an executive order that extends benefits at that level and postpones the payment of some taxes, but details on executions are unclear.

Meadows told Fox News on Sunday that he hoped Republican senators would adopt and amend the House Postal Service bill to “actually address the things that are hurting America right now in terms of this pandemic response and get it on.” the presidency. ”