McConnell warns against deal as Pelosi and Mnuchin inch closer

WASHINGTON — Prospects for an economic relief package in the next two weeks dimmed markedly Tuesday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell revealed that he has warned the White House not to strike an agreement with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the Nov. 3 election.

In remarks at a closed-door Senate GOP lunch, McConnell, R-Ky., told his colleagues that Pelosi, D-Calif., is not negotiating in good faith with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and that any deal they reach could disrupt the Senate’s plans to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court next week. Republicans have voiced concerns that a stimulus deal could splinter the party and exacerbate divisions at a time when they are trying to rally behind the nominee. The comments were confirmed by three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss them.

McConnell’s attempted intervention came as Pelosi and Mnuchin continued negotiating over the roughly $2 trillion economic relief package. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said the “conversation provided more clarity and common ground as they move closer to an agreement.” But no deal can become law without McConnell’s blessing, and his direct warning to the White House imperils the chances of any bill becoming law in the next two weeks.

McConnell told reporters Tuesday that if a deal were reached and passed by the House with President Donald Trump’s support, he would put it on the Senate floor “at some point,” but he did not commit to doing so before the election.

McConnell has not been part of the Pelosi-Mnuchin talks, which have jumped around in chaotic fashion, and had already made his opposition to an enormous new bill clear. Republicans could lose control of the Senate in November’s elections, and senators have made clear to the White House that voting on a huge stimulus deal could mean the end of their majority if it scares away fiscally conservative voters. Mnuchin and Pelosi have continued dancing around a deal for weeks, particularly amid signs that the economic recovery is weakening.

The deal under discussion would provide another round of $1,200 stimulus payments, more unemployment benefits, aid for small businesses, money for coronavirus testing, and support for airlines and hospitals, among other things.

In a Bloomberg News interview Tuesday, Pelosi denied she was stringing the White House along and said she wouldn’t be negotiating if she didn’t want a deal. But McConnell’s remarks show the raw political calculations both parties are dealing with two weeks before the election.

The comments emerged amid escalating tensions between some Republican members of Congress and Trump over stimulus negotiations. Trump has in recent days downplayed or dismissed conservative opposition to spending trillions more on a stimulus, saying he wants to spend even more money than Pelosi’s latest $2.2 trillion proposal. Many Republicans already balked at spending more than $1 trillion on this round of relief. Asked about McConnell’s reluctance to the stimulus, Trump said Tuesday morning: “He’ll be on board if something comes. … Not every Republican agrees with me, but they will.”