Speaker Nancy Pelosi has abandoned the 48-hour deadline she imposed for a coronavirus aid deal in Congress and will continue to negotiate with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, she said Tuesday.
The California Democrat told reporters following a 3 p.m. phone call with Mnuchin that the two sides are still working on a preelection deal. “That’s the hope,” she said.
Pelosi, speaking to Bloomberg News earlier, said the two “are on a path” to a bipartisan deal and that it didn’t have to happen by Tuesday.
The measure is likely to cost more than the $1.8 trillion offer Mnuchin provided earlier this month but that Pelosi said falls short of what Democrats say is needed to respond to the coronavirus.
Pelosi and Mnuchin have been negotiating for months to try to close the wide gap in cost and scope of spending the two sides are seeking.
Across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said that if Pelosi and Mnuchin reach a deal, he’ll bring it up for a vote, even though it’s likely the vast majority of the GOP conference will deem it too costly and vote against it.
McConnell is no fan of a big spending bill, and Republican leaders said it is highly unlikely they’ll be able to find 13 Republicans to vote along with Democrats to provide the needed 60 votes to pass even Mnuchin’s $1.8 trillion proposal.
Instead, the Senate is slated to vote this week for a second time on a $500 billion coronavirus aid package that has nearly universal Republican support but no Democratic support.
Pelosi said last weekend the two parties needed to strike a deal within 48 hours in order to ensure the House has time to consider and to vote on it ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Pelosi deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill said Pelosi and Mnuchin spoke for 45 minutes and the talks “provided more clarity and common ground as they move closer to an agreement.” They plan another meeting on Wednesday.
