Democrats hope to receive a GOP proposal by noon on Wednesday.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is holding out one more day for an eleventh-hour agreement with Republicans on a coronavirus relief package, hoping to clinch a longshot deal as talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin drag on this week.
After a 50-minute conversation on Tuesday, Pelosi and Mnuchin will speak again Wednesday in what is likely the final chance to deliver trillions of dollars in relief to struggling Americans ahead of the November election.
“I’m hopeful,” Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol after her conversation with Mnuchin.
The California Democrat huddled with her leadership team Tuesday evening, where Pelosi laid out plans to push ahead with the caucus’ own $2.2 trillion bill if the bipartisan talks fail on Wednesday. The Rules Committee is expected to meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday, to give Democrats the ability to move quickly if they want.
“If we got some agreement tomorrow or tonight, we’ll see,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said, adding that Democrats would wait on the outcome of the GOP offer. “But we’re certainly planning on going ahead with our proposal.”
“We want to move the bill,” Hoyer said.
The full Democratic Caucus will be briefed on the negotiations Wednesday morning, with centrist Democrats desperate for action that they can tout on the campaign trail in the final weeks before the election.
Despite not being on the call with Pelosi, Meadows also expressed hope about the chances for a deal.
Source: Pelosi eyes last-ditch shot at stimulus deal with Mnuchin – POLITICO
