Pelosi Demands Nearly $1 Trillion More For Coronavirus Relief Package

President Donald Trump and Democrats in Washington D.C. are at an impasse over a second coronavirus relief bill, which might not be coming any time soon.

Trump is willing to sign a relief bill worth $1.3 trillion, a figure that Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi says isn’t nearly big enough. Pelosi is calling for a $2.2 trillion bill to assist Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Democrats are unified, but the Republicans are in disarray,” Pelosi said in a statement Friday. “Press reports are stating that Mitch McConnell has come down to $500 billion in his proposal and that Mark Meadows is saying that the White House might go to $1.3 trillion. Neither of these proposals would meet the needs of American workers and families.

“Republicans are rejecting the funding needed for testing and tracing to crush the virus and safely reopen schools and the economy.”

The new offer is a $300 billion increase from White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who said the president is ready to sign the bill “right now.”

“My impression is she wants to give no stimulus, all she wants is bailout for badly run Democrat states,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, via Reuters.

In May, the House passed a $3.4 trillion coronavirus relief bill, though it was not taken up by the Senate. The Democrats had been asking for $2.4 trillion earlier in August.

“This is a debate about values and common sense, not dollars and cents,” Pelosi said. “We hope Republicans will come to the table and accept our lower offer to save the lives and livelihoods of the American people.”