(Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
(CNSNews.com) – President Donald Trump told a news conference on Wednesday he agrees with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the need to pass another COVID relief bill. In a tweet, he urged Republicans to “[g]o for the much higher numbers.”
“I want to see people get money. I want to see–it wasn’t their fault that this happened,” Trump said, referring to the pandemic.
Republicans have rejected the House Democrats’ $3.4 trillion HEROES Act; Democrats have rejected a both a $1.3 trillion bill proposed by Senate Republicans in July; and more recently, a multi-billion-dollar “skinny” relief bill that did not include another round of stimulus payments, which Trump favors.
The bipartisan congressional Problem Solvers Caucus is now pushing a $1.5 trillion compromise bill, and Trump said on Wednesday he could go for “something like that.”
Yeah, I like the larger amount. I’ve said that. You know, some of the Republicans disagree, but I think I can convince them to go along with that, because I like the larger number. I want to see people get money. I want to see–it wasn’t their fault that this happened. It was China’s fault. You know, people say, “Oh, maybe you shouldn’t say that. That’s not nice.” It was China’s fault.
So, I’d like to see the larger number, yeah. I–I would like to see it. There are some things I disagree with, but I’m sure they can be negotiated.
Now, I heard Nancy Pelosi said she doesn’t want to leave until we have an agreement. She’s come a long way. That’s great. If she said that, she’s come a long way. I agree with her. We should have an agreement. People should be helped, and they should be helped as rapidly as possible. And I think it’s going to happen. I think it’s very important.
So, the Problem Solvers came up with–it’s a group of people in Congress, as you know. You know them all. I know them all. They’re very good people. I guess you’d consider them dead center. But in many cases, they’re not. They’re left. They’re right. But they came up with this idea, and I think they’re well on their way to suggesting some pretty good things, yeah.
I agree with a lot of it…I think the things I don’t agree we can probably negotiate. But I think we’ve made some progress over the last week. And I think it was positive that they came out with that report.
A reporter asked Trump, “Would you endorse that (Problem Solvers) proposal?”
“Well, not that proposal, but we’re getting closer,” Trump said. “I do like a lot of money getting sent to people that really were–really were hurt unnecessarily by China, because they could’ve stopped it…”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC on Wednesday, “all they (Republicans) want is to have the president’s name on a check going out…and — and that’s all he — he (Trump) really cares about.”
She noted that Democrats have agreed to knock $1.2 trillion off the HEROES Act, and she indicated that Democrats “can go beyond that” in January when she presumes Democrats will take control of the federal government.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told Fox News on Wednesday there will be no deal on Pelosi’s latest $2.2 trillion offer:
“But here is how radical the people are controlling the House of Representatives,” Grassley said:
We have a bipartisan group of 50 people that are really begging to pass something — quote, unquote — “something,” at $1.5 trillion. She turns that down. She knows that that figure could be signed by the president of the United States. So, do they want to do something or not?
I think that they think it is to their political advantage not to do anything. If it is to their political advantage, then it is to the people’s disadvantage. And it is putting politics above the benefit for the American people.
So, I think that, right now, there is little chance of getting something done.
Grassley said “yes,” he is open to a bigger stimulus bill.
“But if it’s going to include a half-a-trillion dollars of aid to irresponsible states, like New York and California, we aren’t going to subsidize the irresponsibility of state governments.”
Pelosi is holding firm on a bailout for states that were having budget problems before COVID hit.
