Trump, Pelosi exchange attacks as stimulus deal remains elusive
Washington — House Democrats and the Trump administration remained far apart Monday in economic relief negotiations, and a resolution looked unlikely ahead of the deadline of tonight set by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for a deal that could pass before the election.
President Donald Trump seemed to downplay chances for an outcome, telling reporters that “Nancy Pelosi, at this moment, does not want to do anything that’s going to affect the election. And I think it will affect the election negatively for her. So we’ll see what happens.”
But Pelosi insisted in a call with Democratic colleagues that she did want to pass legislation before the election, saying she didn’t want to carry “the droppings of this grotesque elephant into the next presidency,” according to a person on the call who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss it. The elephant comment was first reported by Politico.
She spoke by phone for nearly an hour Monday afternoon with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, with whom she’s been holding regular negotiating sessions over a bill between $1.8 trillion and $2.2 trillion. The two “continued to narrow their differences” and “the speaker continues to hope that, by the end of the day Tuesday, we will have clarity on whether we will be able to pass a bill before the election,” Pelosi spokesman Drew
Hammill said on Twitter.
Pelosi set the Tuesday deadline in an appearance on a Sunday talk show, indicating that if no agreement were reached by tonight it would not be possible to get legislation passed before the election two weeks from now. It was unclear precisely what Hammill meant by “clarity” and he declined to elaborate.
Hammill said staff would be working around the clock, but the divisions appeared significant.
The stock market slid Monday as hopes faded for a deal. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 411 points, or 1.4%.
Before speaking with Mnuchin, Pelosi had joined a conference call with House Democrats where she and senior Democrats detailed multiple areas where the two sides remain at odds, including liability protections sought by the administration for businesses. “There isn’t a single Democrat who could vote for a bill with those provisions,” Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said on the call, according to several people listening in, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe it.
Pelosi said there still was not agreement for funding levels for state and local governments, a key Democratic demand. And the two sides continued to wrangle over language for spending on health care and testing provisions, with Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., saying Democrats could not sign off on what would amount to a “slush fund” for the administration.