Trump Calls on Congress to Pass New CCP Virus Stimulus: ‘GET IT DONE’

Trump Calls on Congress to Pass New CCP Virus Stimulus: ‘GET IT DONE’
President Donald Trump leaves the White House for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Oct. 2, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Jack Phillips
10/4/2020
Updated:
10/4/2020

President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass a COVID-19 relief measure, calling on them to “get it done.”

His post on Twitter comes as he receives treatment for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, of which he was diagnosed last week. The president released a video on his prognosis, saying his health has improved.
“OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!” Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin late last week to discuss “areas of disagreement including those outlined in the Speaker’s Dear Colleague sent earlier today,” said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill. “Their discussions will continue.”

In a lengthier statement, Pelosi said on Oct. 2 that “strong action” is required to offset damage caused by the CCP virus, pointing to the need for expanded unemployment insurance payments, funding for state and local governments, appropriations, and more. While her statement did not mention stimulus payments, Mnuchin and other Democratic officials have long signaled support for the program.

Also on Oct. 2, Pelosi also suggested that Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis “kind of changes the dynamic” on stimulus talks.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wrote that he spoke with Trump over a number of issues, including the president’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, as well as the pandemic and economic measures.

“Just had another great call with @POTUS. He sounds well and says he’s feeling good. We talked about the people’s business—fighting the pandemic, confirming Judge Barrett, and strengthening the economy for American families. Let’s keep our President & First Lady in our prayers,” McConnell wrote.
President Donald Trump working in the presidential suite at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 3, 2020. (Joyce N. Boghosian/White House)
President Donald Trump working in the presidential suite at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 3, 2020. (Joyce N. Boghosian/White House)

The House last week passed a $2.2 trillion bill that likely will not see the light of day in the GOP-controlled Senate, as Republicans said the new bill contains provisions unrelated to the pandemic. Republicans have also rejected funding for states and cities, which Trump has called a “bailout for badly run Democrat states.”

McConnell has called the $2.2 trillion House plan “outlandish” and “too high,” while Mnuchin has countered with a $1.62 trillion relief package.

“The latest bill from the speaker is no more serious than any of their political stunts going back months,” McConnell said on the Senate floor last week, before adding, “If they continue to refuse to get serious, then American families will continue to hurt.”

House GOP lawmakers said the bill contains too many unneeded provisions. “This bill recycles the same socialist wish list that was offered in the Heroes Act, which House Republicans overwhelmingly rejected,” House GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) wrote in a memo.
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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