Senate Republicans hope to vote next week on a so-called “skinny” coronavirus stimulus package even as the gap between the White House and Democrats remains as wide as ever.
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a close ally of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said the GOP wants to move quickly after Labor Day on a spending package worth about $1 trillion to aid hard-pressed Americans.
“That’s the goal,” Barrasso told PBS Newshour Tuesday.
Senate Republicans were huddling Tuesday morning with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to plot their strategy.
The White House has pushed a package worth about $1 trillion, much less than what Democrats have proposed. But many GOP senators do not support any major stimulus package, complicating the Republican plan which would be unlikely to attract any significant Democratic support.
Talks between the White House and Democratic leaders for a new stimulus package collapsed last month.
Trump enacted some measures by executive action but he needs a deal to pump new stimulus into the struggling economy as the election nears.
Democrats passed a sprawling $3.4 trillion COVID-19 stimulus plan months ago.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered to split the difference between that plan and the White House proposal, but Trump’s allies rejected that out of hand.
Many insiders believe there is little chance of a deal before Election Day as the two parties focus on scoring political points instead of seeking potentially risky compromise.
