House Leaves for October Recess Without Reaching Deal on COVID-19 Stimulus

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks at the National Mall in Washington on Sept. 22, 2020. Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

The House of Representatives on Oct. 2 left for its scheduled October recess to allow candidates to campaign during the final stretch ahead of Election Day.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sent a letter to her Democratic caucus on Oct. 2 saying that she and administration officials still remain far apart on COVID-19 stimulus talks. The speaker and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke several times this week.

“Our negotiations with the Administration continue, and I am hopeful that we can reach agreement. However, we still have significant disagreement in key areas,” Pelosi wrote, adding that both she and administration officials differ on schools, state and city funding, child tax credits, insurance benefits, and more.

“We are expecting a response from the White House on these areas and others with more detail. In the meantime, we continue to work on the text to move quickly to facilitate an agreement,” Pelosi said.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump wrote that members of Congress should “work together and get it done,” referring to the stimulus legislation.

House Democrats last week passed a $2.2 trillion update to their originally $3.4 trillion HEROES Act, but Republicans have signaled they won’t support it.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on Oct. 1 in a news conference: “Today’s so-called compromise isn’t realistic or responsible. It’s the Pelosi Pipedream 2.0, and it’s filled with the same radical, reckless, and ridiculous ideas as the first bill.”

When asked about whether there could be a compromise, Pelosi told CBS News: “We’re making progress. ... It just depends on if they understand what we have to do to crush the virus.”