Republicans push Friday deadline in congressional coronavirus relief talks

"Just because we've been spending so much time together if you're not making progress, there's no sense to continue." Republican Senator Roy Blunt said that is what his colleagues had been told to prepare for: "If there's not a deal by Friday, there won't be a deal."

One of the White House's leads negotiators in talks with congressional Democrats on a new round of coronavirus relief and some Senate Republicans said they viewed Friday as the deadline to reach a deal or drop talks. Officials drew lines in the sand on Wednesday after more than a week of discussions between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

"I've become extremely doubtful that we will be able to make a deal if it goes well beyond Friday," Meadows said before the sides met on Wednesday. "Just because we've been spending so much time together if you're not making progress, there's no sense to continue." Republican Senator Roy Blunt said that is what his colleagues had been told to prepare for: "If there's not a deal by Friday, there won't be a deal."

Negotiators have already blown past one deadline: last Friday when enhanced unemployment payments of $600 a week expired for the tens of millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in the pandemic. Pelosi said earlier on Wednesday the timeline would depend on the course of the negotiations.

"The timetable really relates to the progress we make. How big will the bill be and how long will it last? Those are the questions," the Democratic congresswoman told MSNBC. In the meantime, Republican President Donald Trump said he was still considering unilateral action to stimulate the economy by allowing taxpayers to defer payroll tax payments - a proposal that has gained no traction among lawmakers of either party.

"I have the right to suspend it, and I may do it myself," he said in an interview with Fox News. "I have the absolute right to suspend the payroll."

POSTAL WOES

Trump's newly installed postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, was also due to provide the parties with a briefing, amid worries about delays in Postal Service deliveries and the potential impact on the November elections, in which record numbers of mail-in ballots could be sent as many voters fear casting votes in person could expose them to the coronavirus. "We must resolve those in a way that allows mail to be delivered on time for the election and for the necessities that people need," Schumer said on the Senate floor.

Asked if his party would be open to more postal funding, Blunt said, "Sure." But he demurred when asked about how much, saying, "I don't know, but I think there'd be an openness to that." To illustrate the scale of mail-in voting expected, a Monmouth University poll found that 40% of Iowa voters are very likely to vote by mail in the general election, while another 17% are somewhat likely to do so.

Voters in Michigan reported they had not received the mail-in ballots they asked for before Tuesday's primary. Despite some progress in coronavirus legislation talks, both sides remain far apart on a range of issues.

Mnuchin warned that the Trump administration would not accept "anything close" to the $3.4 trillion in new aid sought by Democrats. But he offered to extend through the end of the year an expired moratorium on evictions of people unable to pay their rent. Schumer accused Republicans of failing to grasp the severity of the pandemic, which has killed more than 157,000 people in the United States.

McConnell, the chamber's top Republican, who has not joined the negotiations, did not draw as hard a line as Mnuchin or some fellow Republican Senators. "We'll certainly be in next week. We'll see what happens after that," McConnell said. Even if the White House and Democratic negotiations agree on a deal, it will take time to draw up legislative language and summon members for a vote.

Some of McConnell's Republicans last week rebelled against his $1 trillion proposals, which would have significantly reduced the enhanced jobless benefit. In May, the Democratic-controlled House passed a $3 trillion aid bill that included around $1 trillion to help state and local governments that have revenue shortfalls because of the huge slowdown in economic activity related to the pandemic.

 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)