White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said that Democratic and Republican negotiations are currently mired in a “stalemate” over what should be included in the next pandemic relief measure.
“I dont want to bet on anything … its a stalemate,” he said on Thursday morning when he was asked by a reporter about whether there will be a deal.
He said that there are too many demands from “their side,” referring to the Democrats, adding that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said top Democrats want a $2 trillion dollar bill. There are many provisions, he said, that have nothing to do with COVID-19.
Republicans, however, dont want to pass a bill of that size, Kudlow told reporters near the White House.
The HEROES Act, passed by the Democratic-controlled House in May, is worth approximately $3.4 trillion dollars. Republicans unveiled a $1 trillion deal last month in the Senate, known as the HEALS Act.
One of the main points of contention now is voting during the November 2020 election.
“They are asking too much money, $3.5 trillion, we have already spent over $3 trillion,” Kudlow said in an interview earlier on Thursday. “So much of the Democratic asks are really liberal left wish lists—voting rights and aid to aliens and so forth.”
President Donald Trump over the past weekend issued a series of executive orders and memorandums including authorizing expanded unemployment payments of $400 per week, a deferral on payroll taxes, a deferral on student loan payments, and looking into whether evictions can be suspended. Critics have said that the moves are unconstitutional while saying they dont go far enough.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday said that a deal is needed.
“With families nationwide struggling to make ends meet & children going hungry, Republicans are playRead More From Source
[contf] [contfnew]
