House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is hopeful lawmakers can reach a deal on the next coronavirus relief package. Still, she is making it clear it depends on whether Republicans are willing to meet Democrats in the middle.
CBS’s Margaret Brennan noted President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter Saturday that the country needs stimulus and asked Pelosi if it means they have struck a deal or are nearing an agreement.
“No, it means that we want to see that they will agree on what we need to do to crush the virus so that we can open the economy and open our schools safely,” Pelosi said.
Brennan pressed Pelosi on whether they are closer to striking a deal than they were on Friday when the airline deal fell through.
“Well, we’re making progress. Well, we tried to get that done in the House, but the Republicans objected,” Pelosi said.
Watch her comments below:
NEWS: @SpeakerPelosi on where things stand with the latest round of #COVDI19 relief: “We’re making progress.”
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 4, 2020
Adds of if movement could come as soon as this week?
"It just depends on if they understand what we have to do to crush the virus." pic.twitter.com/SV3KikZn1o
In a statement released on Friday, Pelosi urged airlines to delay furloughs of employees as relief is coming their way very soon, as IJR previously reported.
“Separate from other industries, when you let go in the airline industry it takes months or years to be re-certified, re-classified, all of that security clearances and the rest,” Pelosi said.
She added, “Not like if somebody has another kind of a job, they leave, they come back. So, that makes a difference.”
Brennan asked Pelosi if relief could come this week.
Pelosi reiterated it “depends” on whether Republicans understand what steps the government has to take to “crush” the coronavirus.
Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke for 65 minutes on Friday, as IJR previously reported.
The House approved a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief plan on Thursday, but it is unlikely to move through the Republican-controlled Senate.
The White House has proposed a $1.6 trillion response.
Trump dismissed the offer put forth by Democrats as not serious.