Trump halts COVID-19 relief talks until after election
An American flag flies at half-staff over the White House in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. Federal officials have intercepted an envelope addressed to the White House that contained the poison ricin. That's according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday.[Patrick Semansky/Associated Press]
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has instructed aides to stop negotiating on another round of COVID-19 relief until after the election.
Trump tweeted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was "not negotiating in good faith" and said he’s asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to direct all his focus before the election into confirming his U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett.
"I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business," Trump tweeted.
Last week, the White House said it was backing a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and dangled the possibility of a COVID-19 relief bill of $1.6 trillion. But that offer was rejected by Pelosi.
Pelosi says Trump is "putting himself first at the expense of the country” by halting negotiations over a new coronavirus aid package from Congress.
Pelosi said Tuesday that Trump “showed his true colors” in stopping the talks between congressional leaders and the White House that have been aimed at bringing some $2 trillion in new aid to fight the coronavirus.
The Democratic leader says by “walking away,” Trump is “unwilling to crush the virus” and is “abandoning the needs of children and other Americans.”
The speaker has been in talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin trying to revive a massive new round of COVID-19 aid.