Playbook this AM — a thread about status of COVID talks
TODAY -- the 91st day since Covid relief talks began -- is the day we will find out whether Congress will attempt to pass a stimulus bill before Election Day, which is TWO WEEKS from today.
TODAY -- the 91st day since Covid relief talks began -- is the day we will find out whether Congress will attempt to pass a stimulus bill before Election Day, which is TWO WEEKS from today.
@SpeakerPelosi and Washington’s Most Eager Man, @stevenmnuchin1 -- in Tel Aviv as of publication time -- will decide today if their differences are bridgeable. Or, as most Rs are whispering behind MNUCHIN’S back, we will find out how much MNUCHIN will cave to PELOSI to get a deal
THE PAIR SPOKE for an hour Monday afternoon, with MNUCHIN speaking from the Middle East. Both sides say they believe they have narrowed their differences -- but the two sides walked away with different impressions of how close they are to a deal.
Republicans said they had thought that an OSHA portion of the bill was all but locked up, and Democrats disagreed.
HERE’S A TANGIBLE NUGGET that might help you understand how the talks are going: PELOSI & MNUCHIN decided over the wknd that they had made enough top-line progress they could allow the Senate & House appropriations cmte to handle some of the specifics of spending portion
ONE AREA THAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE EASY TO SOLVE was a pot of money for transit, global health, the Indian Health Service, CDC and community health center funding, drinking water and rural energy.
PELOSI wanted $143b for this pot, and MNUCHIN and the administration wanted $113b
PELOSI wanted $143b for this pot, and MNUCHIN and the administration wanted $113b
THE APPROPRIATIONS STAFF -- which frequently works out issues like this with no sweat -- met for an hour Monday afternoon and found themselves immediately deadlocked. Democrats suggested Republicans could not negotiate because of divisions in their conference.
Not to mention, Republicans had supported legislative offers in this neighborhood before. Republicans said Democrats are unbendable, and will settle only for the $143 billion.
both sides told us that they had no idea what exactly PELOSI and MNUCHIN had privately agreed to.
both sides told us that they had no idea what exactly PELOSI and MNUCHIN had privately agreed to.
SO, LISTEN: COULD THEY COME TO a deal today? Maybe. Republicans believe it would require full capitulation from MNUCHIN, which is not impossible. But both sides believe it will be tricky to get it into legislative language and to the floor before Election Day.
THE LEVEL OF DISTRUST in MNUCHIN among Republicans is hard to overstate. Republicans in the White House, House and Senate think he’s a sellout, and believe he’ll do anything to get a deal -- even if it means rolling over on some long-held GOP orthodoxy.
Republicans involved in the talks said he has already agreed to more than $1.9 trillion in spending -- including a new $60 billion rental assistance program. And they are concerned he will cave to PELOSI on a big state-and-local-funding package, as well.
SENATE GOP WHIP JOHN THUNE of South Dakota: “It would be hard” to get 13 votes for any Covid relief bill in the $2 trillion neighborhood.
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