Trump: “We’re talking about airlines and we’re talking about a bigger deal than airlines. We’re talking about a deal with $1,200 per person, we’re talking about other things”.

WASHINGTON (TIP): The deal under discussion would include new $1,200 stimulus checks, renew enhanced unemployment benefits, and provide $75 billion for coronavirus testing and tracing, among other provisions. When talks broke off Tuesday, October 6, Democrats were pushing for language ensuring a wide-scale testing strategy. Pelosi said Thursday, October 8, they were still waiting to hear back on that and that she had reminded Mnuchin of that.

And Trump said: “We’re talking about airlines and we’re talking about a bigger deal than airlines. We’re talking about a deal with $1,200 per person, we’re talking about other things, but it’s not anybody’s fault, they were trying to get things, and we were trying to get things and it wasn’t going anywhere, I shut it down. I don’t want to play games. And then we reopened, and I see the markets are doing well but I think we have a really good chance of doing something.”

The labor market remains weak, with another 840,000 Americans filing for unemployment claims last week, more than six months after the coronavirus pandemic began in the United States.

It remains highly uncertain that any deal can be reached, on airlines or anything else. Talks have been on again and off again for months, but ultimately Congress and the administration have been unable to strike a deal since the spring when they passed around $3 trillion in aid.

Multiple programs approved at that time have since expired, including enhanced unemployment insurance for individuals.

The Cares Act from March included a Payroll Support Program for airlines that expired Oct. 1. Democrats have been pushing an approximately $25 billion bill to renew the program, but it’s unclear if the administration supports the Democrats’ approach and Pelosi has now dropped the idea of advancing it on its own.

The developments Thursday, October 8, were just the latest confusing events in days full of them. While hospitalized at Walter Reed over the weekend, Trump tweeted a demand for a new stimulus bill, only to abruptly pull out of talks on Tuesday, a day after getting released from the hospital.

He began backtracking within hours as a number of Republicans in tough re-election races criticized his move and urged him to re-engage.

Trump said Thursday, October 8, he was hopeful the talks would bear fruit even though he commented that Pelosi is “not my favorite person, she impeached me for no reason.”

Both the Democrats and Republicans are acutely aware of the immediate need for an infusion of financial aid to individuals and companies to enable them to survive. They also fear, a failure to come up with an aid may damage them in the elections. No American would like to see the daily bread being denied.

(With inputs from Agencies)