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Trump urges reluctant Republicans to go higher on coronavirus relief


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Trump urges reluctant Republicans to go higher on coronavirus relief

By Susan Cornwell and David Morgan

 

2020-09-16T200904Z_1_LYNXMPEG8F20F_RTROPTP_4_USA-TRUMP.JPG

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the Arizona Grand Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona U.S., September 14, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump urged his fellow Republicans on Wednesday to go for "much higher numbers" in a coronavirus aid bill, as Washington remained deadlocked over economic relief from the crisis ahead of the Nov. 3 elections.

 

"Go for the much higher numbers, Republicans, it all comes back to the USA anyway (one way or another!)" Trump wrote on Twitter Wednesday. Later in the day he spoke favorably about a proposal for $1.5 trillion in aid made by a bipartisan group of centrist lawmakers.

 

"They're well on their way to suggesting some pretty good things," Trump said about the centrist plan during an evening press conference. "I agree with a lot of it. The things I don't agree with, we can probably negotiate".

 

Senate Republicans, whose last coronavirus aid offer was $300 billion and some of whom would prefer doing nothing more, reacted cautiously to Trump.

 

But Democrats Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, said in a joint statement they were encouraged and hoped White House negotiators would now "meet us halfway."

 

Pelosi spoke by phone on Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has helped negotiate previous coronavirus aid packages. They talked about a government funding bill, and at the end of the conversation, Pelosi reiterated the points she had made in her statement with Schumer, Pelosi's spokesman said on Twitter.

 

The Washington standoff over coronavirus relief dates to mid-May, when the Democratic-majority House approved $3.4 trillion in new aid, including unemployment benefits, money for schools, the U.S. Postal Service, and testing. Pelosi meanwhile offered to drop the demand to about $2.2 trillion.

 

The Senate's Republican leaders countered with a $1 trillion plan, but some of their own members balked at that. Last week they put a $300 billion bill up for a vote that Democrats blocked as insufficient.

 

Congress and the White House approved more than $3 trillion worth of coronavirus relief measures earlier this year.

 

The Senate's number two Republican John Thune said on Wednesday proposals should stay in a "realistic" range. Noting the original $1 trillion Senate Republican plan, he said: "As you go upwards from there you start ... losing Republican support pretty quickly."

 

The $1.5 trillion compromise floated Tuesday by the House Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan centrist group, was attacked by members of both parties. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, however, said it deserved consideration.

 

The approaching elections increase the political stakes for Republicans and Democrats. Pelosi faces growing pressure from moderate House Democrats for more action on COVID-19 relief. Some of them welcomed Trump's tweet on Wednesday, including Representative Max Rose, from a competitive congressional district in Staten Island, New York.

 

Rose said leaders of both parties should "Stop the game, stop the stupidity and get to work" on a coronavirus aid plan.

 

Several Senate Republicans said their recent $300 billion offer was about the right amount, signaling doubt they could go higher.

"So the president has his opinion, we have ours," Senator Ron Johnson said.

 

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell and David Morgan; additional reporting by Alexandra Alper and Andrea Shalal; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Timothy Gardner)

 

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-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-17
 
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3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Washington standoff over coronavirus relief dates to mid-May, when the Democratic-majority House approved $3.4 trillion in new aid, including unemployment benefits, money for schools, the U.S. Postal Service, and testing. Pelosi meanwhile offered to drop the demand to about $2.2 trillion.

This is the issue 2.2 and where its earmarked !

"When asked to clarify exactly what the president was asking for in his tweet, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a briefing on Wednesday: “What the president was referring to was the $ 500 billion bill that was passed by the Senate. … does include direct payments. So he wants more than the $ 500 billion, and he is very keen to see those direct stimulus payments and we hope Nancy Pelosi will work with us in good faith".

https://exbulletin.com/politics/390773/

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56 minutes ago, Tug said:

Just Donald pandering for votes if he cared he would have been pushing this last month 

The senate voted six  days ago,  but it didn't meet the sixty vote plateau.They, also had issues of were the money is earmarked!

https://www.vox.com/2020/9/10/21429678/senate-stimulus-vote

Edited by riclag
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9 minutes ago, PaoloR said:

Another brainless Trumpeter on this site. Taking a leaf out of the orange buffoon's play book. If you can't think of anything useful or factual to say, just disparage the Dems with slander.

Can't wait to see Kamala Harris wipe the floor with Pence in any debate, she is not a mindless follower like him.

If you have a brain pkf - please use it!

Can't wait to see Biden debate Trump...that's going to be something for the ages...

 

As for brains, there is this book from Ann Coulter "If democrats had brains, they would be republicans"...

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34 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Can't wait to see Biden debate Trump...that's going to be something for the ages...

 

As for brains, there is this book from Ann Coulter "If democrats had brains, they would be republicans"...

Any one with half a brain will quote Ann Coulter. That train wreck attention seeker who will say the most outrageous things that come to her mind person. Trump can debate? Got to be kidding. 

 

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4 hours ago, Katipo said:

You might be right, but better late than never, especially for those who will benefit from it.

A good number will benefit and I am in full support. Feeling a bit put off. You see, I am on direct deposit Social Security to my US bank ... but IRS mailed a check to my address on my 2018 Tax Return ... but I have moved, but never mind because due to Covid the check never arrived ... Filed necessary form for missing check ... OK, we can issue a new check and mail it ... ah, no ... there is no mail service ... can you send private carrier? NO. Can you direct deposit? NO ... ho hum ...

Edited by wwest5829
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1 hour ago, Brunolem said:

Can't wait to see Biden debate Trump...that's going to be something for the ages...

 

As for brains, there is this book from Ann Coulter "If democrats had brains, they would be republicans"...

If 45 performs anything like he just did in his disastrous town hall, 45 fans should be very worried. Total meltdown!

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/16/trump-shouldnt-have-brought-up-mental-acuity-his-disastrous-town-hall/


 

Quote

 

Trump’s disastrous town hall shows he should never have made mental acuity an issue

 

It was not simply that President Trump resorted to obvious lies at the ABC News town hall Tuesday night, or that he was rude and ineffective in addressing the terrific, substantive questions from real, undecided voters. His campaign’s bigger worry is that he came across as confused, lost and incoherent. He really should not have gone down the road of challenging his opponent’s mental acuity.

 

 

 

Edited by Jingthing
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14 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

A good number will benefit and I am in full support. Feeling a bit put off. You see, I am on direct deposit Social Security to my US bank ... but IRS mailed a check to my address on my 2018 Tax Return ... but I have moved, but never mind because due to Covid the check never arrived ... Filed necessary form for missing check ... OK, we can issue a new check and mail it ... ah, no ... there is no mail service ... can you send private carrier? NO. Can you direct deposit? NO ... ho hum ...

There is no regular mail service from the U.S. to Thailand? I wasn't aware of that. I do know there is none going to the U.S. from Thailand.

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3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

There is no regular mail service from the U.S. to Thailand? I wasn't aware of that. I do know there is none going to the U.S. from Thailand.

The problem works both ways due to the lack of air flights. Getting ready to vote in US election. I will bite the bullet and send the ballot by private carrier to assure timely delivery.

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1 hour ago, Brunolem said:

Can't wait to see Biden debate Trump...that's going to be something for the ages...

 

As for brains, there is this book from Ann Coulter "If democrats had brains, they would be republicans"...

Trump got flummoxed by ordinary citizens at a town hall meeting. What makes people think that empty belligerence is enough to prevail at a debate? Trump has demonstrated time and time again that he is incapable of absorbing information in a coherent way.

Edited by nakornpingpong
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46 minutes ago, nakornpingpong said:

Trump got flummoxed by ordinary citizens at a town hall meeting. What makes people think that empty belligerence is enough to prevail at a debate? Trump has demonstrated time and time again that he is incapable of absorbing information in a coherent way.

Hold your horses and just wait a few more days, until the first debate... if not cancelled because Biden cannot find the key to get out of his basement... 

 

Trump is certainly not an orator like Obama was, but poor Biden constantly needs the crutches of a teleprompter, which he won't have for a debate. 

 

Interestingly, yesterday both Biden and Harris talked about the upcoming Harris-Biden administration... feels like being back to the days of the Cheney-Bush administration... 

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Who let the d.. s out... 

Whoof whoof whoof... 

 

Really funny to see so many convinced that who is president matters... it doesn't! 

 

The US president is a figurehead, totally controlled by the "swamp" that Trump never drained for the obvious reason that the "swamp" swallowed him like all the others...

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5 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Who let the d.. s out... 

Whoof whoof whoof... 

 

Really funny to see so many convinced that who is president matters... it doesn't! 

 

The US president is a figurehead, totally controlled by the "swamp" that Trump never drained for the obvious reason that the "swamp" swallowed him like all the others...

 

Really funny to see baseless conspiracy theories floated whenever some posters' narrative hits a snag.

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