#Mnuchin is willing to meet Pelosi ‘anytime’ to restart COVID-19 aid negotiations

Enlarge Image

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
Nicholas Kamm-Pool/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told lawmakers on Tuesday that he was willing to restart COVID-19 relief negotiations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at any time.

But Mnuchin balked at Pelosi’s $2.2 trillion price tag and said it was too high during his testimony in front of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, which is investigating the federal government’s response to the pandemic.

“Let me say I very much agree with you and those other experts that more fiscal response is needed,” Mnuchin said, according to a report by The Hill. “The president and I want to move forward with more fiscal response.”

“I’m prepared to sit down with the Speaker at any time to negotiate,” he said.

Talks between the two sides fell apart when Pelosi (D. Calif) and Mnuchin could not come to an agreement earlier this month on how big the next COVID-19 aid bill should be following weeks of negotiations.

The two sides failed to make a deal before the $600-per-week federal boost to unemployment ran out.

President Trump, frustrated by the impasse, decided to sign an executive order extending the benefits at the reduced rate of $300.

Democrats in the House in May passed a generous $3.4 trillion aid package, but Republicans balked at the large price tag and have refused to move far from their much slimmer $1 trillion bill.

Pelosi recently offered to reduce their package to $2.2 trillion but White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Democrats needed to come down further to around $1.3 trillion.

On Tuesday, Mnuchin echoed those sentiments, telling lawmakers: “I do not support $2.2 trillion” but said he was hopeful they would still find a bipartisan agreement.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R. Ky) is expected to introduce another bill next week but the delay is taking place as tens of millions of American families file unemployment claims and face financial ruin due to the economic crisis.