Top congressional Democrats and White House officials appeared to harden their stances on new coronavirus relief legislation on Wednesday, as negotiations headed toward an end-of-week deadline with no sign of an agreement.
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters after nearly two hours of talks that Democrats were determined to reach agreement on a legislative package but only if it met the needs of an American public reeling from months of restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of infections.
Another key negotiator, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, told CNN that President Donald Trump stood ready to take unilateral action on unemployment benefits and protection from evictions if Democrats and Republicans were unable to reach an agreement on how to proceed.
"If Congress can’t get it done, the president of the United States will," he told CNN.
The two sides remained trillions of dollars apart in their negotiating positions after more than a week of discussions between Pelosi, Meadows, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Senate Republicans have been told that negotiators have until Friday to reach agreement. "If there's not a deal by Friday, there won't be a deal," Republican Senator Roy Blunt told reporters.
Pelosi suggested she did not accept that timeframe...
Trump said he was considering unilateral action to stimulate the economy by allowing taxpayers to defer payroll tax payments - a proposal that has gained no traction among lawmakers of either party.
"I have the right to suspend it, and I may do it myself," he said in an interview with Fox News. "I have the absolute right to suspend the payroll."
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