More Stimulus Checks Will Be Sent, White House Economic Adviser Says
White House economic adviser Stephen Moore confirmed that the Trump administration would send more stimulus checks.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally met in-person after their first stimulus negotiations failed in the previous.
Though their almost 90-minute meeting on Wednesday did not reach a deal, the White House said the Trump administration is pushing in sending millions of stimulus checks before the elections.
The stimulus negotiation did not reach a deal on Wednesday because of some relief measures that both parties want to include and not to. That will give them more time to have more beneficial relief measures that will help millions of Americans across the country.
Pelosi said: "Secretary Mnuchin and I had an extensive conversation and we found areas where we are seeking further clarification. Our conversations will continue." This is not the end of stimulus negotiation, but rather this shows signs of developments in month-stalled stimulus negotiation.
On Wednesday evening, the Treasury Secretary said that President Donald Trump had instructed his stimulus negotiators to come up with a larger stimulus package. The initial offer of the White House is $1 trillion, and the amount could go higher.
Mnuchin also added that he would be speaking again with Pelosi on Thursday. He reiterated that Trump wanted to reach a deal. In case an agreement on coronavirus stimulus is reached, the Internal Service Revenue (IRS) is already prepared to send the stimulus checks.
The Treasury Secretary also admitted that his conversation with Pelosi on Wednesday was the first serious talk after their last in-person conversation several weeks ago. It can be remembered that he tried to have a meeting with the House Speaker last month but was only told that Pelosi was in another meeting.
Despite these circumstances, Moore said the Trump administration wanted to send more stimulus checks before the election once lawmakers fail to reach a final deal. The White House wanted to send the money within two weeks.
He noted that Trump would do this even he already knew that sending stimulus checks to millions of Americans will have a little impact on his electoral bid and the economy. Trump's intention is to help millions of Americans who continue to suffer amid the economic devastation caused by the global pandemic.
"I told him, 'Mr. President, there's no deal you can get that will help the economy before the election," Moore said.
However, he said Trump indicated that he's still open to send the next round of stimulus checks soon as he is not playing politics.
Meanwhile, the Senate approved the stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown at Wednesday midnight, when the 2020 fiscal year ended, and agency funding expires. With the Senate bill, federal government agencies will be funded until Dec. 11.
Trump is expected to sign the bill into law either Thursday or Friday. Aside from this, the President could also issue an executive order to send stimulus checks and PPP loans using the leftover money from the CARES Act.