President Trump’s coronavirus stimulus offer, lawmakers dismiss it

The White House on Friday increased its coronavirus stimulus offer to $1.8 trillion which was nearly double the initial offer the President made. However, the amount is still $400 billion less than the initial $2.2 trillion Democrats are pushing for.

Both House Democrats and Senate Republicans opposed President Trump’s new offer. White House negotiators have called for a separate vote on small business loans. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the “proposal amounted to one step forward, two steps back, type of progress.

“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, rather than agreeing on language prescribing how we honor our workers, crush the virus and put money in the pockets of workers,” said Pelosi.

Over the last couple of months, U.S. lawmakers have failed to reach an agreement for a new stimulus package. With the presidential election fast approaching, there is little doubt that another stimulus package will be sent out anytime soon. As a result, the U.S. economy continues to slowly recover amid the coronavirus pandemic, with millions of Americans jobless.

The House Speaker said the White House’s proposal didn’t have a strategic plan to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Adding that there was also inadequate funding for state and local governments, and insufficient financial relief for American households. She has called for the reinstating of the previous $600 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit, and more money for child care.

In a call on Saturday morning, Senate Republicans discussed with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, where they spoke in opposition to the proposal. A source familiar with the matter said the lawmakers hated the proposed package.

In response, Mnuchin and Meadows sent a letter to Congress on Sunday where they called for a separate vote on Paycheck Protection Program funding, small businesses, and forgivable loans.

“Now is the time for us to come together and immediately vote on a bill to allow us to spend the unused Paycheck Protection Program finds while we continue to work towards a comprehensive package,” they wrote in the letter. “That all-or-nothing approach is an unacceptable response to the American people.”

Pelosi also wrote a letter to the White House on Sunday, highlighting the President’s failure to take the pandemic seriously. She says President Trump’s stand on the pandemic was “reflected in the grossly inadequate response” the House “finally received from the Administration on Saturday.”

According to an NBC news report, the White House, in the new offer, is proposing: