“At the moment, we still disagree on many priorities, and the Democrats are waiting for language from the administration on a number of provisions, as negotiations on the overall funding amount continue,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to the House Democrats on Saturday. Wrote in a letter to the House Democrats on Saturday.
Calling for a meeting Saturday with Treasury Secretary Steven Munuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Senate Republicans blasted the White House’s $ 1.8 trillion offer to Speaker Pelosi, according to multiple sources.
They went through a number of GOP concerns, such as the overall cost tagging of state and local funds.
While sentiment was that talks with Pelosi should continue, it was clear that the White House plan did not have the virtual possibility of passing a GOP-controlled Senate, sources said.
According to two sources familiar with Florida, the White House reported why their current path is going down when Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, Manuchin and Meadows did. Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn said it would be a “death knell” for the Senate Republican majority and would deflate the figure just three weeks before the election.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, one of the most inconsistent and respected members of the convention, told Meadows and Munich that there was simply “no appetite” for spending the number floating in the White House.
And the Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee stressed that if there is to be an explanation, it could focus entirely on Trump’s Supreme Court nomination – which should be the focus of both the White House and Senate Republicans.
Meadows and Munich indicated they would respond to Trump.
After delivering this information, “you all have to come to my funeral,” according to sources familiar with the call, Meadows said after making all the criticisms. Munuchi agreed that it would be received very badly.
Republican senators were fed up with those comments.
On this call, some G.O.P. The senators slammed Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for going too far in seeking congressional approval of economic relief and, according to two sources, for stepping out in public to demand his release.
The president said Friday that he wants to see a greater stimulus than is currently controlled by Democrats or his administration, but Republicans in Congress oppose tr tags of 1 1 trillion or any amount of new aid. Senate Republicans have rallied behind the 500 billion price tag.
Pelosi has repeatedly argued that the actual legal language – and where that language directs funding – has become the most crucial part of any deal, especially for funding for states and territories that lack significant budgets. The Trump administration.
In his letter on Saturday, Pelosi rejected Trump’s proposal, saying he wanted more money at his discretion to agree or withhold language instructions on “how to respect our workers, crush the virus and put money in workers’ pockets.” “
The Democratic leader said, “Despite these unfounded concerns, she has remained” optimistic “that Friday’s development will bring her closer to a deal on the relief package.
The story has been updated with additional developments on Saturday.
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