McConnell Won’t Support $1.8 Trillion White House Stimulus Bill—Even If Pelosi And Trump Make A Deal
With negotiations for a pre-election federal stimulus bill coming down to the wire, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) threw a wrench in the works on Thursday, saying that the $1.8 trillion plan recently proposed by the White House as a compromise with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and top Democrats is “a much larger amount than I can sell to my members.”
With Pelosi and the White House still trying to find common ground between the $1.8 trillion plan and Democrats’ $2.2 trillion plan, McConnell added that he would not put a bill that large on the Senate floor for a vote.
Without support from McConnell and at least some of his Republican caucus, no deal that the White House makes with Pelosi stands any reasonable chance of becoming law.
According to Pelosi spokes Drew Hammill, Mnuchin told Pelosi Thursday afternoon that Trump would “weigh in” with McConnell about bringing a comprehensive bill to the Senate floor for a vote if Pelosi and the White House are able to reach an agreement.
As an alternative to the more expensive plans under discussion, McConnell announced earlier this week that he would put a smaller, more targeted rescue bill up for a vote when the Senate returns to session on October 19th.
The last time the GOP put a narrow bill (which included just $300 billion in new spending) on the floor of the Senate, Democrats used the filibuster to block it because they thought it was far too small.
President Trump Thursday criticized Mnuchin for not pushing for a deal even larger than $1.8 trillion, telling Fox Business that he had informed the Treasury Secretary of his desire for a bigger bill but so far, Mnuchin “hasn’t come home with the bacon.”
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