Mnuchin said that Congress may agree to a short-term extension of unemployment insurance.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned that Democrats and Republicans are « very far apart » from coming to an agreement over the next coronavirus response legislation, as several relief measures passed in March expire. The stall in negotiations comes as the expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefit that paid out-of-work Americans an extra $600 per week ended on July 25, so unemployed workers will now see smaller checks.
« As of now, we’re very far apart. And because of that, the president and we have discussed a short-term extension to UI, and the evictions, so that we have some period to negotiate before this runs out, » Mnuchin told reporters in a press briefing on the White House South Lawn Wednesday.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows later told reporters that he did not believe House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were in a « negotiating mood. »
« In talking to Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer, they don’t appear to be in a negotiating mood. In fact, if anything, I think they’re more entrenched now than they were you know even a week ago.
