Trump says he's 'totally involved' in new Covid-19 relief package talks despite spending last weekend golfing
President Donald Trump never misses an opportunity to showcase himself no matter what the reality is, in matters of politics, administration or culture. On Monday, August 3, the maverick commander-in-chief claimed that he is personally involved in the Capitol Hill negotiations over a fresh coronavirus stimulus package although he is yet to meet the Democrats on the new law. The Trump administration is in the middle of talks with the opponent party for the new package after the last round of benefits came to an end on July 31.
The American economy has been severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic which has affected more than 4.7 million people and killed 155,000-plus, making the US the worst-hit nation in the world. The Trump administration has been battling hard to cope with the double blow that the pandemic has delivered — in terms of health and economy. Trump, who met tech industry workers at the White House on Monday on the occasion of signing an executive order to hire only American employees, said: “I’m totally involved, I’m totally involved,” when asked why he was not taking part in the talks on the new legislation at the Capitol Hill. This weekend, the president spent all day playing golf at his clubs in Sterling, Virginia, even as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows were trying to reach an agreement at the Capitol.
Trump slams Democrats for 'slow-rolling' talks
He even slammed the Democrats saying they were “slow-rolling” the talks and hinted at making a move on his own through an executive order or some other move. Mnuchin and Meadows also headed for the talks at the Capitol on Monday while Trump tried to prove that he is very much involved. Meanwhile, Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the meeting held on Monday as “productive” and said things were “moving down the track”. The 80-year-old California lawmaker told reporters after the negotiations last week reached a stalemate.
“We still have our differences. We are trying to have a clearer understanding of what the needs are,” Pelosi said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told the media at the Capitol after the meeting that there are still a lot of “outstanding” issues. Mnuchin and Meadows met the top two Democratic leaders almost on all days over the last week and the Trump administration officials have said that they would continue with the negotiations regularly till a deal is finalized. The two-hour meeting on Monday followed the staff-level talks on the package on Sunday, August 2.
The effort to pass the fresh relief package gained traction after the federal employment benefit of $600 a week expired in July end. While the Democrats have insisted on continuing with the same amount, the GOP questioned the need and wanted to reduce it to $200 a week. The Trump administration is more in favor of seeing people coming out to work and restart the economy instead of depending on government aid. It has also favored the idea of providing incentives to people to return to work. However, even if the Monday negotiations had been successful, a vote on the package wouldn’t take place until later this week or early next week, meaning those who have been heavily depending on the aid will have to adjust with difficulties without it for a while now.