<p class="p1"><span class="s1">President Trump is ready to spend $2 trillion or more on another COVID stimulus package if White House negotiators can reach a deal with Democrats. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“We remain committed to negotiating and also committed to making sure that we get a deal as quickly as possible,&#8221; said White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. &#8220;If Nancy Pelosi will be reasonable, she’ll find the president of the United States to be reasonable, and we’ll get something across the finish line.”</span></p>
<p>The Trump Administration this week increased its offer to $1.9 trillion, up from $1.6 trillion when <span class="s1">Democrats had pushed for $2.2 trillion in early October. </span></p>
<p>Aside from the dollar amount, sticking points include the GOP&#8217;s support for a series of stand-alone bills and Democrats&#8217; attempts to pass a massive package that includes a blue-state bailout.</p>
<p>Last weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-NY)<span class="s1"> announced a 48-hour deadline to reach an agreement. If no deal is reached by EOD Tuesday, the </span><span class="s1">chances of another stimulus package being approved before Election Day are slim.</span></p>
<p>&#8220;I want the money by tonight, but Nancy Pelosi doesn&#8217;t want to approve it because she thinks it&#8217;s good politically for her not to approve it,&#8221; argues President Trump. &#8220;She wants to bail out poorly-run Democrat states. And we don&#8217;t want to do that. I don&#8217;t think she wants to approve it anyway. I think even if we gave her the money for the poorly-run Democrat states, I don&#8217;t think she&#8217;d approve it anyway.&#8221;</p>
<p>Trump is confident in his ability to sway Republican Senators if a deal is reached without their support. <span class="s1">“If I had something that would be good, I think I could quickly convince the Republicans to do it,” he said, adding that he is ready to match the initial $2.2 trillion offer made by Democrats.</span></p>
<p>That number is &#8220;a much larger amount than I can sell to my members,&#8221; warns Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who favors a <span class="s1">$650 billion package that would provide another round of direct payments, boost unemployment benefits by $300 per week, and aid schools and universities as they reopen. The proposal does not provide funding for state and local governments.</span></p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">If lawmakers fail to reach a deal and Joe Biden wins the election, it could be five or more months before we see another stimulus package. Accepting a compromise may require Pelosi to give up her precious bailout and her tax cuts for the lower class, but</span><span class="s1"> it would provide immediate relief to the millions of struggling Americans who lost supplemental unemployment benefits this summer.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In the meantime, lawmakers are pushing to renew </span><span class="s1">the <em>Paycheck Protection Program</em> and to expedite the confirmation of SCOTUS nominee Amy Coney Barrett.</span></p>
<p><strong>Sources: </strong></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-nw-second-stimulus-check-updates-20201019-wucummxdrzcrpmtl74hcvc5age-story.html"><span class="s1">Second stimulus check updates: Pelosi reports some progress ahead of deadline for reaching pre-election deal, but COVID-19 relief bill may be far off. </span></a></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="https://ktla.com/news/politics/2nd-stimulus-checks-hours-left-to-cut-deal-with-1200-direct-payments-before-election-day/"><span class="s1">2nd stimulus checks: Hours left to cut deal with $1,200 direct payments before Election Day </span></a></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/white-house-ups-offer-to-nearly-1-9-trillion-on-stimulus-deal-meadows_3544579.html">White House Boosts Stimulus Offer to Nearly $1.9 Trillion: Meadows</a> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-teases-stepping-in-if-republicans-oppose-multi-trillion-dollar-stimulus-package"><span class="s1">Trump teases stepping in if Republicans oppose multi-trillion dollar stimulus package </span></a></p>