One of Donald Trump’s first actions after returning to the White House from a brief stay at Walter Reed over the weekend was to halt coronavirus relief negotiations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) due to her refusal to compromise with GOP proposals.
After ending the ongoing talks with Pelosi, President Trump said he would be willing to sign several independent COVID-19 relief measures, including another round of stimulus checks — completely undercutting what leverage Pelosi had left.
After months of stalling and failed negotiations, Pelosi turned down several deals proposed by the White House that contained smaller price tags that Pelosi’s initial proposals but that still contained concessions to House Democrats.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday evening, Trump warned Pelosi that her time is up and that he won’t wait for her to compromise any longer. “If I am sent a Stand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200), they will go out to our great people IMMEDIATELY. I am ready to sign right now. Are you listening Nancy?” Trump said in one tweet.
“The House & Senate should IMMEDIATELY Approve 25 Billion Dollars for Airline Payroll Support, & 135 Billion Dollars for Paycheck Protection Program for Small Business. Both of these will be fully paid for with unused funds from the Cares Act. Have this money. I will sign now!” He wrote in another tweet.
Pelosi has come under heavy fire from both GOP and Democrat legislators that have prioritized finding a solution for American businesses and families financially affected by the coronavirus crisis.
GOP House candidate Yvette Herrell, who is challenging Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), blasted Pelosi’s months of stalling on fast coronavirus relief, saying that “Nancy Pelosi just pushes it to the edge every single time, and, sadly, she would rather see the demise of our nation than stand with our president.”
Rep. Max Rose (D-NY), a moderate Democrat, has repeatedly called upon Pelosi and other congressional leaders to put aside political differences and work together to achieve a deal.
Rose declared last week:
It’s no secret that there are some people in my party that are secretly and surreptitiously saying, ‘Oh, let’s not do any deal whatsoever because we don’t want the president to get credit for anything,” he added. “That is as wrong as it gets. People are suffering right now … And we have to be there for them as members of Congress and as patriots, not as partisans.
