The COVID relief negotiations, that is:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested Friday that Congress is “unlikely” to reach an agreement on a coronavirus rescue package before the Nov. 3 election, amid confusion and weeks of stalled negotiations.
During remarks at an event in Kentucky, McConnell reiterated that the upcoming election will only make it more difficult for Democrats, Republicans and the White House to find common ground on a package, even as millions of Americans remain unemployed and more than 210,000 people have died from the coronavirus.
“The situation is kind of murky and I think the murkiness is a result of the proximity to the election and everybody kind of trying to elbow for political advantage,” McConnell said. “I’d like to see us rise above that like we did back in March and April but I think that’s unlikely in the next three weeks.”
McConnell’s remarks come after President Donald Trump has sent mixed signals about whether he wants Congress to pass a coronavirus relief package. Earlier this week, Trump tweeted that he told key negotiators for the White House that he wanted to wait until after the election to come to a deal. But hours later, Trump called on Congress to pass standalone bills for a range of issues, including airline relief and stimulus checks.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke Wednesday, but Pelosi rejected providing aid to the beleaguered airline industry, which is facing massive layoffs, outside of a larger bill.
Pelosi told reporters Friday that she plans to continue negotiating with Mnuchin and planned to speak with him later in the day. The speaker and Mnuchin have spoken by phone almost daily over the last two weeks as they’ve pushed for a longshot deal on a stimulus package.
And then there’s this:
Sure. He’s fine. He’s doing just fine. No issues.
The fact is that Trump should want to do a huge stimulus. He should have been insisting on it for the last month. But if he agrees to it now, it will jam McConnell who will have to openly buck the president if he refuses to put it on the floor and if he does he’ll have to push hard to keep 13 GOP senators from voting for it. I can’t see him dong that, but you never know.
This is a very strange dynamic. Clearly Mitch doesn’t want this deal for his own reasons. He wants to concentrate on Coney Barrett and call it a day. But Trump, in his manic state, has belatedly realized that people need money and he’s in a position to make them happy by giving it to them.
So, here we are:
Okaay. There’s a chance that Trump will agree to give Pelosi almost everything she’s been holding out for which would be great. But I really doubt it will help him. There’s just too much going on and he’s acting too crazy.