New Stimulus Is Close, Not Before Election Day but by end of year

As the 2nd stimulus saga continues……….

The Push Me/Pull You of Washington politics over a new round of economic stimulus appears close to an agreement. But the timing of when money will arrive to your home remains in flux.

The two sides had set a Monday deadline, but that came and went without a breakthrough. That left both to finger-point as to who was to blame for yet another stalemate.

President Donald Trump said Pelosi “would rather wait till after the election — she thinks it’s a good point for the election.” He echoed Mnuchin, who said she was “dug in,” a remark likely echoed on the other side of the table.

Pelosi doesn’t want to give Trump a political win before the election. Pelosi said herself, Democrats are wary of passing a stimulus bill because it would hand President Donald Trump a political victory, and fear that sending $1,200 checks to those who desperately need it could help revive his reelection campaign. They’re holding back, even as millions of Americans face layoffs, unemployment, and potentially evictions.

Pelosi should accept an imperfect offer while she still has the chance. Trump has launched a sustained offensive in right-wing media calling for more stimulus. This is leverage that Pelosi will not have after the election when Trump will no longer care about being reelected.

Trump knows that a massive new spending bill contradicts his messaging on the pandemic. Trump has never played by the traditional rules of politics. What’s more, the need for stimulus never suited his approach to the pandemic. Accepting a deal on coronavirus aid might undercut his main campaign talking point: That everything is fine. That the pandemic is totally under control and the economy is roaring back like never before.

If Trump really wanted to get a deal done, it would be done. There’s something fundamentally incredible about Trump’s suggestion that mean old Nancy Pelosi won’t accept a deal on any terms. If he wants one, all he’s got to do is tell Mnuchin to get as much as he can in last-minute concessions and then just agree to the damn thing.

McConnell has put seating a new Supreme Court justice ahead of economic aid.

I guess they will just keep pointing fingers and passing the buck while Americans suffer. Stay tuned.