President Donald Trump lashed out at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), accusing them of delaying crucial coronavirus relief legislation.
“So now Schumer and Pelosi want to meet to make a deal. Amazing how it all works, isn’t it,” he wrote. “Where have they been for the last 4 weeks when they were “hardlinersâ€, and only wanted BAILOUT MONEY for Democrat run states and cities that are failing badly? They know my phone number!”
So now Schumer and Pelosi want to meet to make a deal. Amazing how it all works, isn’t it. Where have they been for the last 4 weeks when they were “hardlinersâ€, and only wanted BAILOUT MONEY for Democrat run states and cities that are failing badly? They know my phone number!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020
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The president’s statements are misleading. The Democrat-led House passed the The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act in May to supplement an earlier coronavirus relief package. However, the legislation was never taken up by the Senate, and benefits, including a highly valued $600 weekly unemployment bonus, were allowed to expire, throwing millions of people into uncertainty.
The president’s remarks come as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Trump administration is open to resuming coronavirus aid talks as well as offer more aid money to try to reach a compromise.
“The president is determined to spend what we need to spend. … We’re prepared to put more money on the table,†he told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” without specifying when talks would resume.
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
