President Trump will have neither a new coronavirus aid bill nor a vaccine before the election.
Trump announced Tuesday that he has stopped negotiations with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, tweeting that she “is not negotiating in good faith.” Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had apparently reached an impasse over the amount of the aid package. Pelosi wanted $2.4 trillion, while Mnuchin had offered $1.6 trillion.
Trump’s announcement means there won’t be a new round of stimulus checks or more money for schools, day care, or coronavirus-related health costs between now and next year. The president said he will pass a major stimulus bill after he wins reelection.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday he supports Trump’s move to end the aid talks.
“I think his view was that they were not going to produce a result and that we needed to concentrate on what’s achievable,” McConnell said.
Trump has also been insistent on a coronavirus vaccine before the election, with White House officials battling for weeks with the Food and Drug Administration over FDA guidelines for approving a vaccine with emergency use authorization. Tuesday, the White House agreed to safety guidelines that all but guarantees a vaccine will not be approved by Nov. 3.
The guidelines require that vaccine makers submit two months of data on the safety of their vaccine before the FDA will give it an emergency use authorization. Specifically, they must submit data on any adverse effects that patients who have taken the vaccine in phase three trials may have suffered for at least two months after receiving the vaccine.
On Monday, the White House had blocked the safety guidelines, saying there was “no clinical or medical reason” for the additional requirement. It is not yet clear why the White House changed its position.
After the White House blocked the standard, the FDA sought other ways to impose it, including having an outside advisory committee enforce it.
That committee, called the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, released its briefing document Tuesday for its meeting on Oct. 22. It included the two-month safety guideline.
The White House announced it has hired “a ‘well-being’ consultant” to help executive residence staff with mental health concerns.
The announcement, made by the first lady’s office Tuesday, says staff members can speak anonymously to the consultant. It is not clear if the person has started work.
The announcement listed several “health and safety precautions” being taken by the White House to assist residence staff, who are separate from West Wing staffers.
On Tuesday, White House press aide Jalen Drummond tested positive for COVID-19. He is the fourth press aide to test positive after press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and deputies Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt. Apparently, Drummond attended the White House event on Sept. 26 announcing Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Multiple attendees of the event have tested positive for the virus, including Trump and the first lady. On Tuesday evening, top Trump associate Stephen Miller also tested positive.
Washington, D.C., reported 105 new cases of COVID-19 from Oct. 4-5. That is the highest one-day increase since 130 cases were reported from June 1-2.
