“Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gave a damn,†Pelosi said when asked if she should accept a smaller COVID-19 rescue package rather than endure weeks of possible gridlock.
“It’s a stalemate,†White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Thursday.
Across a nearly empty Capitol, the Senate's top Republican sought to cast the blame on Pelosi, whose ambitious demands have frustrated administration negotiators like White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Among the items lost is perhaps $10 billion in emergency funding for the Postal Service to help improve service as its role in the fall election takes on greater importance, given an expected surge in mail voting because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump seemed to take advantage of the stalemate to press his case against voting by mail.
He said Thursday on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria†that among the sticking points were Democrats’ demand for billions of dollars to assist states in protecting the election and to help postal workers process mail-in ballots.
“They need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,†Trump said, adding, “If they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting because they’re not equipped to have it.â€.
Trump's top negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, tried to revive stalled talks Wednesday, but Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the “overture,†saying the Trump administration was still refusing to meet them halfway
The Democrats said they are waiting for the White House to put a new offer on the table: “We have again made clear to the Administration that we are willing to resume negotiations once they start to take this process seriously,†they said in a statement
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