Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday that a new stimulus package is still needed to help the economy recover from the ravages of the coronavirus, and he committed to calling Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., right away to try to restart talks.
Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See other free reports here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday that a new stimulus package is still needed to help the economy recover from the ravages of the coronavirus, and he committed to calling Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., right away to try to restart talks. Mnuchin’s comments came in testimony before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, which convened on Capitol Hill in the final week of Congress’ summer recess. Mnuchin and the panel’s chairman, Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S. C., and several other lawmakers appeared in person while others spoke through a video link. “While we continue to see signs of a strong economic recovery, we are sensitive to the fact that there is more work to be done, and certain areas of the economy require additional relief,” Mnuchin testified in his opening statement. “I believe a bipartisan agreement still should be reached and would provide substantial funds” for issues including schools, testing, vaccines, small businesses, enhanced unemployment benefits and the U. S. Postal Service. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the struggling airline industry also would need more assistance. Clyburn chided Mnuchin for not making a deal with Democrats months after the House passed a sweeping $3.4 trillion bill in May called the Heroes Act. “Additional economic stimulus is urgently needed… as the pandemic drags on states, cities and businesses are warning that more layoffs may be coming,” Clyburn said. “Secretary Mnuchin, I hope you will return to the negotiating table prepared to find common cause.” Mnuchin was involved in talks last month with Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N. Y., and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows aimed at producing a new economic relief package. But those talks collapsed amid partisan rancor, and Trump moved forward on his own with a series of executive actions aimed at providing some relief in areas including unemployment assistance.
