President Donald Trump is signaling his support for another COVID-19 relief bill if one is passed by Congress.
On Thursday, he was asked if he thinks there is a chance that Congress will pass a new relief bill and whether he would support it.
“I will, and I think we are getting very close. I want it to happen. And I believe we are getting very close to a deal,” Trump said, according to the White House pool report.
When specifically asked if he would support the bill, Trump said, “I will.”
After months of gridlocked and failed negotiations on a relief bill, there has been a new push to craft and pass a relief bill in the coming weeks.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spoke on Thursday afternoon about their desire to pass a new relief bill soon.
Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hammill said, “The Speaker and Leader McConnell spoke at 12:45 p.m. today by phone about their shared commitment to completing an omnibus and COVID relief as soon as possible.”
Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of senators unveiled a $908 billion coronavirus relief bill, as IJR reported.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), one of the senators behind the bill, said, “It’s not the time for political brinkmanship. You’ll not see any of that here today on this stage. We’re going to intend to move this forward after months of failing to act for one reason or another. We’re not blaming anybody for why they haven’t come to an agreement.”
On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Trump had voiced support for a Republican-crafted bill that is similar to the legislation put forth by the bipartisan group of senators.
Meanwhile, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the bipartisan bill should be “used as the basis for immediate bipartisan, bicameral negotiations.”
“Of course, we and others will offer improvements, but the need to act is immediate, and we believe that with good-faith negotiations, we could come to an agreement,” the two leaders said.
