Trump called the negotiators three times Thursday night when they were in Pelosi’s office. But he only spoke with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, according to Meadows.
The talks underscore the rock-bottom relationship between the top leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties tasked with resolving the health and economic crisis.
The feelings appear reciprocal.
In a time of crisis, leaders usually place their differences. That did not happen. The two did not even speak, as the number of cases of coronavirus in the United States exceeded 5 million, a quarter of the total cases worldwide.
Congress is now moving to pass the fifth in a series of emergency measures. One crucial benefit – an extra $ 600 a week in unemployment benefits – expired on July 31 and another – the Paycheck Protection Program, which helped keep millions of small businesses afloat – expired on August 8.
On Monday, Mnuchin and Trump took divergent tactics to bring the Democrats back to negotiate.
The Treasury Secretary told CNBC that the administration is “ready to put more money on the table”, and expresses its willingness to spend more than $ 1 trillion overall, in particular more on food aid then offer it first.
“I listened to the speaker over the weekend,” Mnuchin said. “She’s right. We’re low on food. We realize there are a lot of kids.”
They will “drop down the list” over other issues, he added.
On Monday, Trump mocked Pelosi and Schumer and said in a tweet, “They know my phone number!”
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