Johnson: ‘I hope the talks remain broken down’
Democrats, Mnuchin still stalled on stimulus
MADISON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson would rather see no new coronavirus stimulus bill than one that includes new spending, the Oshkosh Republican said Friday.
Johnson said in a Friday interview with Breitbart News Tonight that he hopes negotiations stay broken down between the Trump administration and House Democratic leaders on a new pandemic relief package, given the trillions Democratic leaders proposed in new spending.
“From my standpoint, the breakdown in the talks is very good news. It’s very good news for future generations,” Johnson said. “I hope the talks remain broken down.”
Johnson does not support any new spending and instead wants any new proposals to spend money already authorized by a relief package passed earlier this year known as the CARES Act.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., met Friday with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to salvage discussions over a new stimulus package, but the effort remains stalled with no real pathway forward.
In the absence of a deal, President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a series of executive orders aimed at providing temporary economic relief, but the measures may be unconstitutional because Congress controls spending.
The orders would provide an additional $300 per week in unemployment benefits, suspend payments on some student loans, and give employers an option to defer some payroll taxes through the end of the year for employees who earn less than $100,000.
Earlier this spring, the Democraticcontrolled House passed the HEROES Act, a roughly $3.4 trillion bill that would provide a second round of direct payments to millions of Americans, nearly $1 trillion to states and local governments and billions for housing and food assistance.
The Republican-controlled Senate introduced its counterproposal, the HEALS Act, a $1.1 trillion package that includes direct payments but no federal aid for housing, food, or state and local governments. It has yet to pass the chamber.
Republicans proposed a short-term extension of the $600 weekly unemployment boost that expired July 31 until a broader compromise can be reached. Democrats rejected the plan, arguing the time it would take to get funds to families would not provide the same meaningful help as a larger deal.
Pelosi and Schumer said they were opposed to a compromise that would bring a boost to unemployment benefits lower than $600 a week.
On Saturday, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan said Trump’s orders did not amount to relief.
“A payroll tax cut executive order – cutting funding for Social Security – is not relief for the American families,” Pocan tweeted.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, said Monday that Trump’s orders amounted to chaos.
“It is past time to take action in the Senate to pass bipartisan legislation that extends federal unemployment benefits and provides stimulus payments to families that need help,” she said in a statement.
Johnson, who does not support spending more to provide relief as the pandemic continues to keep businesses struggling or closed, said Friday he supports Trump’s efforts to “fill in the holes and provide relief where it’s actually needed” and believes the president’s executive orders are the “reasonable approach.”
“We don’t have an unlimited checking account, so I’m glad there’s not a deal,” he said.
Johnson said the $600 per week in additional unemployment benefits should not continue, arguing the benefit is too generous and could discourage employment.
“That’s a perverse incentive – we can’t continue it,” he said.
Schumer said Friday he wants Republicans to meet in the middle.
“We are asking them to come back and negotiate, but (they need to) realize, the House is Democratic, they need a majority of Democratic votes in the Senate,” he said. “God sakes, please, for the sake of America, meet us in the middle.”
Gov. Tony Evers in a statement said Trump’s orders “have once again only created more uncertainty and confusion for folks across our state and our country that need help.”
“I again ask the Trump administration and Congress to work together and act quickly to pass legislation that will provide real assistance for families and additional support and resources for states that are on the frontlines of responding to this pandemic,” he said.
A spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development did not immediately respond to questions about whether state officials plan to implement the $300-per-week benefit.
Nicholas Wu, Ledyard King and Christal Hayes of USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Contact Molly Beck molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her Twitter at @MollyBeck.