Senate Republicans Reject New White House Coronavirus Relief Proposal

Senate Republicans on Wednesday expressed their refusal to support the White House's new coronavirus relief proposal.

A source for The Hill said the main concern was the current price tag for the coronavirus relief offer.

In a call with the White House negotiators, the Senate Republicans said the $1.8 Trillion coronavirus relief offer was too high. The source said "there's an openness" for the White House to continue negotiating.

The real issue was its division with Senate Republicans, who were aiming for a lower offer since the start of negotiations.

President Donald Trump has urged negotiators to "go big" in recent talks, even before he asked for it to be halted.

The Senate GOP's refusal could cause some significant backlash to the stimulus, said Business Insider. Democrats will also be affected as efforts to have government aid to keep the country afloat before election get dampened.

Senate Republicans' Concerns

There were a number of GOP concerns to go through, but their main problem with the proposal was state and local funding and the overall price.

Two sources told CNN about the GOP's talk with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Senator Rick Scott of Florida told Mnuchin and Meadows that he "doesn't get" why the White House is going down the direction it's currently taking. He's been critical when it came to providing federal aid to state and local governments.

Senator Lamar Alexander also told Mnuchin and Meadows there was "no appetite right now to spend the White House number or the House number."

Meadows and Mnuchin said they will give Trump the feedback. There was also no immediate response from the White House regarding the said conference call.

The Largest Offer Yet

The Trump administration's $1.8 Trillion offer is the largest one it's put forward since the start of talks with Democrats.

It contains $1,200 direct payments, $400 weekly federal unemployment benefits and $300 billion in state and local government aid. It also provided funds for virus testing and tracing.

Talks on coronavirus relief was abruptly cut off but these renewed efforts came just days after, in what many believe is a way to boost his Trump's reelection odds.

Moderate Republicans are also supporting a bipartisan coronavirus deal, specifically those who are facing reelection like Trump. But they also expressed some reservations about the price tag, said New York Times.

No Deal Before Election Day?

Prospects of an economic aid package before election are diminishing. Given the wide rifts between negotiators in coming up with an agreeable price tag, it's unlikely for the stimulus to take footing before Election Day.

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell himself has dampened any expectations of a deal coming soon. He told reporters at his home state on Friday that "the situation is kind of murky."

This back-and-forth between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Mnuchin highlight the obstacles toward a deal-gaining support from Senate Republicans.

"The overall price tag matters a lot to conservatives," said White House economic adviser Steve Moore.

But Moore also added that the contents of the spending proposal are important. He said the contents "make all the difference in the world."

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