Pelosi accuses Trump of MONEY GRAB as she slams proposed $1.8 trillion stimulus package with more $1,200 checks
“When the President talks about wanting a bigger relief package, his proposal appears to mean that he wants more money at his discretion to grant or withhold,” Pelosi said. She added the Democrats should push for more funding and details on the plan. The Democrats had previously rejected a $1.6trillion package, claiming it wasn’t generous enough. While hosting a “virtual rally” Friday on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show, Trump said: “I would like to see a bigger stimulus package frankly than either the Democrats or Republicans are offering.” He also wrote on Twitter that the aid package should “Go Big”. Americans have been waiting for months on a second round of $1,200 coronavirus stimulus checks, but talks between the White House and Pelosi have failed to reach a consensus and the GOP-controlled Senate has voiced opposition even to plans Trump supports.
What’s on offer in the stimulus package?
- $1,200 direct payments to adults plus $1,000 for each dependent child
- $400 weekly federal unemployment benefits (end date unclear)
- $300 billion in aid to state and local governments
- $75 billion for coronavirus testing and tracing
Even if a deal was reached within the next few days, it’s unlikely most Americans would see the funds in their pockets until after the November 3 presidential election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told attendees at an event in Kentucky that any deal would be unlikely in “the next three weeks,” according to Axios.
McConnell and Senate Republicans are more focused on uniting behind and confirming the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in the weeks ahead, a GOP source told Axios.
The source said: “You’re never going to get a deal out of Pelosi that Republicans can support. So do you really want to divide your party within days of an election?” The Axios source described Pelosi as “trying to jam up” Congress as they fight to get Barrett confirmed. “Pelosi’s out there doing 25th Amendment s**t today,” the source said. “Does this sound like a lady who wants a deal? There’s no way McConnell takes his eye off the ball. Republicans are intently focused on the Supreme Court.” The decision by Pelosi comes after she unveiled her 25th amendment plan to oust the president from office after she accused Donald Trump of being “in an altered state.” Pelosi mentioned that due to the drugs that Trump has been on since he was diagnosed with Covid last week, “medical professionals say this could have an impact on judgment.” “The president is, shall we say, in an altered state right now,” Pelosi said on Bloomberg TV. “I don’t know how to answer for that behavior.”