President Trump took to Twitter Wednesday morning to reiterate to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi his desire to sign a standalone bill to provide $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans — as the federal government remains locked in a stalemate over coronavirus relief negotiations.
Just 10 hours after first mentioning Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a tweet Tuesday evening, when he expressed interest in a focused relief deal that would just cover the checks, the commander-in-chief circled back.
“Move Fast, I Am Waiting To Sign!” Trump wrote in a retweet of his earlier message, tagging the California Democrat’s account.
“If I am sent a Stand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200), they will go out to our great people IMMEDIATELY. I am ready to sign right now. Are you listening Nancy?” the president wrote late Tuesday in his initial post on the matter.
On Tuesday, the president rejected Pelosi’s coronavirus stimulus compromise proposal, accusing the nation’s highest-ranking elected Democrat of “not negotiating in good faith.”
“Nancy Pelosi is asking for $2.4 Trillion Dollars to bailout poorly run, high crime, Democrat States, money that is in no way related to COVID-19. We made a very generous offer of $1.6 Trillion Dollars and, as usual, she is not negotiating in good faith,” Trump tweeted.
“I am rejecting their request, and looking to the future of our Country. I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business,” he continued.
The president added that he had “asked [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell not to delay, but to instead focus full time on approving my outstanding nominee to the United States Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett. Our Economy is doing very well.”
In response to the move, Pelosi issued a lengthy statement slamming Trump and his response to the pandemic as a whole.
“Today, once again, President Trump showed his true colors: putting himself first at the expense of the country, with the full complicity of the GOP Members of Congress,” the House speaker said.
“Walking away from coronavirus talks demonstrates that President Trump is unwilling to crush the virus, as is required by the Heroes Act,” she continued, later accusing the commander-in-chief of abandoning his responsibility to meet “the needs of our children.”
Speaking to Fox Business Wednesday morning, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows accused Pelosi of slow-walking negotiations to help Democrats in the election.
“The point is that Pelosi does not want the checks to go to the American people before Nov. 3,” he told the network.