Coronavirus stimulus negotiations end as President cancels negotiations until after he wins re-election
West Virginians await new prediction from Senator Capito as to when the next package will be passed
From earlier today:
Hill-HarrisX poll:
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 6, 2020
Should the Senate first pass a COVID relief bill or confirm Amy Coney Barrett?
Pass a COVID relief bill first 74%
Confirm Amy Coney Barrett first 26%
However, from CNBC News:
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has told his administration’s negotiators to end coronavirus stimulus talks with Democrats until after the Nov. 3 election.
The declaration, if the White House follows through on it, would halt an ongoing push to send trillions of dollars more in relief to Americans as the outbreak rampages through the U.S. and the economy struggles to recover from virus-related shutdowns. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke for an hour about a relief package on Monday and planned to talk again Tuesday. Trump had only three days ago urged the sides to complete a deal after taking no direct role in the talks for months.
“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 on Tuesday.
I have not yet found any response from West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito. Since summer, Capito has been predicting that the Senate would soon pass a coronavirus relief package. In July, for instance, she predicted that it would be passed within two weeks and last month she told the Intelligencer that it would be sometime in September.
We will likely hear from the senator once she has received her talking points. (Despite the President ending the talks, look for something about how Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats refuse to negotiate in good faith.) I also look forward to her next prediction.
If coronavirus aid is now off-the-table, what are the Republican priorities? Obviously, pushing through Trump's Supreme Court nominee. They're pathetic.