Prez and GOP miles apart on stimulus bill

The White House vowed Wednesday to push hard for a COVID-19 stimulus bill worth about $2 trillion, but chances of such a rescue package getting through both chambers of Congress appeared slim as Senate Republicans sought to advance a more modest measure.

Chief of Staff Mark Meadows insisted that President Trump is “willing to lean” on Republican senators to pass a stimulus bill with a substantial price tag.

“Let’s get help going to the American people,” Meadows said in a morning appearance on Fox News.

But as Meadows called for major relief, Senate Republicans tried to pass a much more limited $500 billion stimulus bill that mostly aimed to refill the popular, small business-benefiting Paycheck Protection Program.

Senate Democrats blocked the piecemeal measure, saying it was both too small and loaded with poison pills such as a provision to shield corporations from coronavirus-related lawsuits.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) glossed over the Democrats’ complaints and argued it was more important for them to accept his version of relief than none at all.

“The country needs an outcome,” McConnell (below) said. “Let’s put aside our differences, agree where we can, and move forward. Why not get the country in a better place while Washington continues to argue?”

Meantime, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) continued closed-door negotiations with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s stimulus point-man, in hopes of getting a bill rolled out by the end of this week.

Pelosi struck an optimistic note about the negotiations during an appearance on MSNBC.

“I’m pretty happy,” she said. “I think we have a prospect for an agreement.”

Trump called on Senate Republicans earlier this month to ditch all stimulus talks for the rest of the year, only to reverse himself a few days later and demand more negotiations.

Democrats, led by Pelosi, are angling for a stimulus bill in the range of $2.4 trillion that would renew federal unemployment benefits, issue $1,200 personal checks to most American taxpayers and funnel sorely needed budgetary relief to cash-strapped local governments in states like New York.

Trump has conceded to many of the Democratic demands.

However, legislation won’t move anywhere unless McConnell and his Senate majority offer support.

McConnell cryptically said Tuesday that he would “consider at some point” any deal that could win approval from Trump and Democrats, sparking speculation that he may wait until after the election to make a move.