#Trump rails against Schumer, Pelosi as $600 unemployment boost expires

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday blasted what he called “Do Nothing Democrats” after Congress failed to reach a deal on expanded unemployment benefits ahead of their expiring at midnight and impacting tens of millions of American households.

In a series of tweets from Florida, Trump accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) of refusing to come to the table during week-long negotiations with the White House.

More than 25 million American will now lose the $600 per week jobless payment bonus introduced at the height of the coronavirus crisis in March — a lifeline to people who have lost their jobs amid the pandemic.

“Pelosi & Schumer have no interest in making a deal that is good for our Country and our People,” the president wrote, accusing the pair of seeking economic bailouts for Democrat-controlled “radical left” states.

The Queens-born president singled out Schumer in particular, writing that he was “very disappointed” with the 69-year-old senator from Brooklyn.

“Pelosi & Schumer blocked desperately needed unemployment payments, which is so terrible, especially since they fully understand that it was not the workers fault that they are unemployed, it’s the fault of China!” Trump continued.

With the $600 federal boost expiring on Friday and Congress unable to find bipartisan consensus on a fourth stimulus package, the White House dispatched chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to negotiate with Democrats.

But those talks stalled and an angered Meadows told reporters on Friday morning that Pelosi and Schumer had rejected four offers to extend the unemployment benefits.

“Those four different offers have been actually rejected — but more importantly than that, they’ve not even been countered,” Meadows at a White House briefing.

“The Democrats are certainly willing today to allow some of the American citizens who are struggling the most with this pandemic to go unprotected,” he said.

Democrats want to expand the $600 bonus until the first quarter of 2021, but the White House and GOP are advocating for a $200 payment, arguing the current rate is too high and discourages Americans from returning to work.

Meadows and Mnuchin reportedly offered to expand the $600 benefit for another four months but Pelosi and Schumer rejected this too. The four will meet again over the weekend.

Pelosi pointed the blame at her GOP colleagues on Friday, accusing them of being out of touch with the struggle of everyday Americans — even as she pushed an aid package with funding for marijuana businesses.