Remember before the election when hopeful incumbent presidential nominee Donald Trump claimed that he wanted a coronavirus aid package bigger than what the Democrats proposed? “Go big or go home!” Trump tweeted.
According to Bloomberg, the White House has now completely withdrawn from negotiations with Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, dropping the responsibility for coming up with a relief package to Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Prior to the election, Trump pushed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to come to an agreement with Pelosi, saying that he would get Republicans in the Senate on board with any negotiated package.
Now, however, it seems he couldn’t give a damn.
Democrats have a united front regarding the negotiations, insisting that any aid package including funds for fiscally-strapped state and local governments, increasing federal supplemental payments for unemployed Americans and providing for funds to help small businesses.
“We’re at the same place,” Pelosi at a news conference with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “Even more so with the pandemic because look at these numbers. Look at these numbers. Look at the predictions of the scientific community.”
A new aid package will be key to buoying the economy in the future as the United States sees record high numbers of daily new cases and hospitalizations.