Prior to the latest round of negotiations on the next round of coronavirus relief for the American people, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi declared Democrats were “not budging” from their previous offer, Roll Call reported.
“We’re not budging,” Pelosi told reporters Thursday. “Understand this. [Republicans] have to move,” she said. “They’re just going to have to come up with more money.”
The Democratic-led House passed a $3.5 trillion aid bill in May; the Senate, controlled by republicans, were unable to wrangle enough votes–even within their own party–to pass a bill out of the chamber.
The White House has been trying to push a $1 trillion aid bill on Democrats, but Democrats insist that the bill provide for long term financial aid to families and small businesses as well as fiscally-strapped state and local governments.
While Trump and his surrogates have claimed Trump is leading these negotiations, Trump has attended a single negotiation meeting. Instead, he’s passed responsibility to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, while he watched television or goes on golf vacations.
“This is a conversation only to respect the fact that the president’s representative, not even the lead negotiator, that would be Mnuchin, we consider, whatever his name is — what’s the name? Meadows there — as staffing Mr. Mnuchin,” Pelosi said.