“The prospects of another round of coronavirus relief appeared even more grim Wednesday after a call between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin moved them no closer to cracking a stalemate,” CNBC reported on Aug. 12, 2020.
Recap: House Democrats passed a $3.4 trillion relief bill, and Democratic negotiators have come down to $2 trillion, which they consider bare minimum; but the White House doesn’t want to go above $1 trillion, and because many GOP senators who’ve suddenly gotten deficit religion after borrowing to cut rich people’s taxes oppose even that, GOP Senate leader McConnell needs Democratic votes to pass a bill.
Here’s Mnuchin’s latest proposal: “My view on negotiations is you agree on the things that you can agree on, … and then come back for another bill,” Mnuchin told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo.
In other words, pass what Republicans will agree to, and split off the rest into a separate bill, which they’ll block.
That’s not negotiation. It’s a demand for surrender.
Even ignoring that Americans need the $2 trillion and more, given political realities with an election just 83 days away, it’s the Republicans who should be waving a white flag. The Democrats have already done so, by coming down $1.4 trillion. The Republican argument, I guess, is they’ve come up from zero, which is what they really want to do for suffering Americans.
So Pelosi takes what is on the table or waves the white flag until after the election, and then may get less from her own party. Or Pelosi gives the Republicans things that don’t come with a price tag to the Federal government such as not allowing employees to sue their employer if they get Corvid or even some other disease. And of course there are funds for the post office in this deal though what does the post office have to do with Corvid? If the Post Office cannot pay its bills then the Post Office needs to raise the price of a first class stamp, of course that has to be ok with Congress. So we pay for the service directly or under the table to a quasi business/government entity.