House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks to reporters on Aug. 27. Photo: Oliver Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said after a 25-minute phone call with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Thursday that the two sides remain at a "tragic impasse" over a coronavirus relief package.
The state of play: Democrats are willing to agree to a $2.2 trillion stimulus deal — $1.2 trillion less than the HEROES Act that the House passed in May, Pelosi said. She called on the Trump administration to meet them in the middle, and she said talks would not resume unless they do so.
What she's saying: "Originally, House and Senate Democrats made clear we would be willing to cut a trillion dollars if the White House would add a trillion for a bill. In order to meet in the middle, we have now said we would be willing to go to $2.2 trillion to meet the needs of the American people," Pelosi said in a statement.
- "This is not about dollars, this is about values. These investments will not only help crush the virus, they will also help bolster the economy."
- "The administration’s continued failure to acknowledge the funding levels that experts, scientists and the American people know is needed leaves our nation at a tragic impasse."
- "Over 100 days after House Democrats passed the Heroes Act, another 4.4 million Americans have become sick and over 90,000 have died. Yet, Republicans continue to turn their backs on the American people."