There is potential for a coronavirus stimulus deal as long as “politics do not get in the way again,” White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Monday.
“Even if a large comprehensive bill is not possible because of a few things that are out there, let’s go ahead and pass a number of the things that we can agree upon,” Meadows said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”
Talks between Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have continued after Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, said Meadows.
Last Thursday, the House approved a $2.2 trillion Democrat-favored bill as the impasse over a bipartisan agreement continues.
“It’s incumbent upon all Americans to put pressure on Congress to say it’s time to come to the table,” Meadows said. “There are a lot of people that continue to hurt, are waiting on stimulus and the president is committed to getting a deal done, but he wants to make sure that we move expeditiously but also in a fiscally responsible manner.”
Pelosi suggested on Friday that Trump’s diagnosis could help push through an agreement, but there were few signs over the weekend that a breakthrough was coming, reports The Washington Post.
The speaker also asked airlines Friday to delay the furloughs of tens of thousands of workers. United and American said they can reverse them if Congress acts fast on a deal to extend payroll support for the industry.
“What I said to the airline executives in a public statement is: Don’t fire people; you know that relief is on the way and it will be retroactive, so let’s keep them employed,” Pelosi said Sunday.
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