Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave the White House a 48-hour deadline for the coronavirus stimulus deal, her top aide tweeted Saturday night.
Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, posted that the Speaker and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke on the phone for more than an hour on Saturday night. He said the agreement had to be “addressed in a comprehensive manner in the next 48 hours.”
The speaker told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the 48-hour deadline applies to whether the coronavirus stimulus deal would be completed before the election.
“The 48 only relates to if we want to get it done before the election, which we do,” she said. “I’m optimistic because, again, we’ve been back and forth on all of this.”
When asked by George Stephanopoulos whether Americans would “get relief before Election Day,” Pelosi responded, “Well, that depends on the administration.”
The Saturday talks between Pelosi and Mnuchin resulted in “some encouraging news on testing,” Hammill tweeted.
But he added that “there remains work to do to ensure there is a comprehensive testing plan that includes contact tracing and additional measures to address the virus’ disproportionate impact on communities of color.”
Hammill had tweeted last week that Mnuchin agreed to the Democrats’ language on national testing with “minor” edits.
President Trump has encouraged a deal before the election, suggesting Mnuchin should go beyond the current $1.8 trillion proposal, despite Republican senators’ pushback on the cost.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he will not bring a $1.8 trillion deal to the Senate floor, but the chamber plans to vote this week on a $500 billion bill with a Paycheck Protection Program extension and expanded unemployment benefits.
Pelosi and Democrats have argued that proposed bills from the White House and Senate are adequate, calling for more funding for state and local governments.