House Democrats To Vote On Post Office Bill In Break From Summer Recess
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White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows speaks to the press in Statuary Hall at the Capitol on August 22, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Mark Meadows, White House Chief of Staff, visited the U.S. Capitol on Saturday in an attempt to pressure Democrats into accepting a slimmed down version of the stimulus bill.

Meadows said he tried to meet with Speaker Nancy Pelosi to discuss moving forward with a coronavirus stimulus package, The Hill reported.

But Pelosi was not available when Meadows arrived.

Meadows was in Capitol Hill to talk about more relief funding with rank-and-file members in both parties. He said Congress should pass legislation in areas where bipartisan agreement was found.

The stimulus has been stuck at weeks of deadlock as negotiations between negotiators collapsed on August 7, a Bloomberg report noted.

House Provides $25 Billion for Postal Service

The House convened for a rare Saturday session to vote on a bill that provides $25 billion for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

Meadows told reporters it was "hypocritical" for Pelosi to take up legislation that provides funding for USPS, while not holding a vote on the stimulus.

He argued that small business funding and other economic provisions have to be added to the bill.

"Speaker Pelosi and Democrats: if you really want to help Americans, how about passing relief for small businesses and unemployment assistance ALONG with postal funding?" he tweeted on Saturday morning.

He added that he met with rank-and-file lawmakers on paths to reach a compromise.

"If she wants to strike a deal with the president of the United States on behalf of the American people, the president is willing to do that," Meadows said. He also said the deal has to be based on real numbers and issues that are urgent, not a partisan wish list.

A CNET report said Meadows was open to a "piecemeal" legislation around both the USPS and the stimulus relief. He said if Congress can agree on both postal and stimulus checks, they should pass it.

"Congress needs to come back and get their act together," he added.

Meadows came with his entourage in an impromptu attempt to meet about the stimulus impasse, and they were told she was in a meeting.

"As you know, the secretary (Steve Mnuchin) reached out a few weeks ago," he told reporters. "She made it clear at that point that there was no real need to continue to vote."

Slimming Down the Stimulus Package

There weren't any scheduled meetings between Pelosi and Meadows, a source said. "He showed up with no notice. Speaker was in a leadership meeting," a senior Democratic aide said.

The latest effort to restart stimulus talks come after he and other members of the GOP have pressed for a slimmer $1.1 trillion GOP Senate bill.

This measure combines $10 billion for the USPS with other provisions. It lists new funding for small businesses and unemployment insurance benefits.

Back in May, House Democrats passed a big $3.4 trillion coronavirus relief package. The proposal was greatly rejected by Republicans in the White House and the Senate.

According to Washington Times, Pelosi thinks Meadows' request for a slimmed down stimulus is "deficient."

She earlier told reporters that Meadows was proposing a bill that could lead to millions of layoffs for workers in the public sector.

It could also sacrifice the safety of children in schools as the aid was tied to school reopening.

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