CONGRESS TO APPROVE A STIMULUS
DEAL BEFORE ELECTION DAY.
MEANWHILE, SENATE MAJORITY
LEADER MITCH McCONNELLS HAS
SET A VOTE FOR WEDNESDAY ON A
$500 BILLION COVID FINANCIAL
RELIEF MEASURE WHICH HE CALLS
SKINNY.
HOW CLOSE IS WASHINGTON TO FINAL
USING A CORONAVIRUS BILL?
LET’S BRING IN IOWA KNEE THAT
KUMAR, MUTT COE’S WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENT -- POLITICO ’S
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: ALL RIGHT,
LISTEN, SENATOR McCONNELL IS
OFFERING ASH DOCTOR 500 BILLION
CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE THAT
WOULD PROVIDE FUNDS TO EXBAND
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS -- EXPAND
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, ANOTHER
ROUND OF THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION
PROGRAM, FINANCIAL AID TO
SCHOOLS AND FUNDING FOR TESTING
AND CONTACT TRACING.
SPEAKER PELOSI AND TREASURY
SECRETARY STEVE MNUCHIN, AS YOU
KNOW, THEY’RE CURRENTLY IN
TALKS.
SO IF THE TWO DON’T COME UP WITH
ANYTHING DIFFERENT, CAN THE
PEEKER AFFORD TO TURN DOWN
THE -- IS THE SPEAKER AFFORD TO
TON DOWN THE CURRENT DEAL?
>> I DON’T THINK IT’S LIKELY
IT’S GOING THE PASS THE HOUSE
ANYWAY BECAUSE SHE -- HOUSE
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI’S ALREADY
SAID TIME AND TIME AGAIN SHE’S
NOT GOING TO BE WILLING TO GO
FOR THAT.
THIS IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME
BILL, THE SAME PROPOSAL THEY HAD
EARLIER, AND SHE’S ALREADY
REJECTED THAT.
SHE SAID IT JUST DOESN’T GO FAR
ENOUGH AND DOESN’T ADDRESS A LOT
OF THE NEEDS.
IS SO I THINK IT’S UNLIKELY TO
GET PAST THE SENATE.
ARTHEL: A SO EXPOND ON SOME OF
THE BOBSS.
>> THERE ARE SO MANY, AND IT
CHANGES EVERY DAY.
REALLY THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE
HOUSE DEMOCRATS DO SEEM TO BE
GETTING CLOSE TO SOME THINGS,
BUT THEY STILL DISAGREE ON SOME
OF THOSE SPECIFIC POLICIES IN
THE BILL.
SO THEIR NUMBER IS GETTING
CLOSER, HOW MUCH THEY’RE LOOKING
AT SPENDING IS GETTING CLOSER,
BUT THEY STILL FUNDAMENTALLY
DISAGREE ON HOW MUCH SHOULD GO
TO STATES AND LOCALITIES.
THAT’S BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST
STICKING POINTS FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING.
THEY ALSO DISAGREE ABOUT
LIABILITY, YOU KNOW, SHOULD THE
BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, IS HAVE
PROTECTIONS WHEN PEOPLE COME IN
THERE AND GET CORONAVIRUS.
THAT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST
ISSUES.
BUT EVEN IF THE TWO SIDES
AGREE -- AND THAT’S A BIG IF AT
THIS POINT -- SENATE REPUBLICANS
JUST DO NOT WANT TO SPEND THAT
MUCH MONEY.
THEY HAVE SAID THAT FROM THE
VERY BEGINNING.
SENATE LEADER MEMBERSHIP
McCONNELL SAID THAT JUST
RECENTLY. -- MITCH McCONNELL.
SO I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE
THAT THEY WOULD CHANGE THAT.
THEY WOULD FEEL THEY WOULD LOSE
THEIR BASE.
CONSERVATIVES TONIGHT WANT TO
SPEND THAT MUCH.
THEY’RE WORRIED ABOUT FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT SPEND, SO IT SEEMS
LIKE THAT’S REALLY WHERE THE
OBSTACLE IS.
ARTHEL: A I MEAN, THEY’VE SPENT
A LOT OF MONEY, FOR SURE, AND I
CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THEY ARE NOT
TRYING TO SPEND EVEN MORE MONEY
THAN NECESSARY, BUT PEOPLE ARE
HURTING.
AMERICANS ARE HURTING.
SO I DON’T KNOW THAT THERE ARE A
LOT OF PEOPLE, THE ONES WHO ARE
HURTING AND ARE CLOSE TO LOSING
THEIR LIVELIHOODS AND DON’T HAVE
FOOD ON THEIR A TABLE OR MAYBE
BEING PUT OUT OF THEIR HOMES, I
DON’T KNOW THAT THEY’RE LOOK
AGENT9 THE FEDERAL DEFICIT AT
THE MOMENT.
THEY’RE LOOKING AT THE THEIR OWN
DEFICITS IN THEIR ACCOUNTS.
SO WOULDN’T THAT BE A
CONSIDERATION, IF THEY’RE
LOOKING AT A BASE OR HOW IT’S
GOING TO AFFECT VOTERS?
>> YEAH, I MEAN, IT’S A GREAT
POINT.
AND THAT OOH A’S, I THINK, WHY
WE’RE SEEING TWO WEEKS AND A
COUPLE DAYS OUT FROM THIS
ELECTION BOTH SIDES STILL
SITTING DOWN AND TRYING TO
NEGOTIATE.
IT’S INCREDIBLE THAT THEY’RE
THIS CLOSE TO AN ELECTION AND
STILL TRYING TO DO THIS, AND
THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE
SAYING.
THIS PRESSURE THAT THEY’RE
FEELING BACK IN THEIR DISTRICTS
AND THEIR STATES TO GET
SOMETHING DONE, YOU KNOW, SOME
OF THESE VOTERS AND AMERICANS
DON’T CARE IF IT’S DEMOCRATS OR
REPUBLICANS, THEY JUST WANT
WASHINGTON TO DO SOMETHING.
THEY’RE KIND OF SICK OF THE
WHOLE THING.
THEY ARE FEELING THAT PRESSURE
BACK AT HOME WHICH IS WHY WE’RE
SEEING THEM SITTING DOWN AND
TALKING, TREASURY SECRETARY
MNUCHIN AND THE SPEAKER ARE
SUPPOSED THE TALK AGAIN
TOMORROW, SO WE’LL SEE IF THEY
COME UP WITH SOMETHING.
ARTHEL: BOTH OF US, I’M SPEAKING
FOR YOU WITH, JUST FOR THE SAKE
OF THE PEOPLE.
WE DON’T WANT TO SEE FELLOW
AMERICANS SUFFERING.
LET ME WRAP REALLY QUICKLY WITH
YOU, ANITA, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW,
SENATOR McDONNELL WAS LOOKING
TO GET THIS CORONAVIRUS STIMULUS
LIGHT PACKAGE PASSED AND THEN
MOVE ON TO CONFIRM JUDGE AMY
CONEY BARRETT TO THE SUPREME
COURT.
SO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TO GIVE
THEM A ONE-TWO PUNCH THAT COULD
PLAY OUT IN THE FAVOR OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE
REPUBLICANS ON THE BALLOT.
BUT IF THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN, YOU
KNOW, IF THE STIMULUS PACKAGE
DOESN’T HAPPEN, DO YOU THINK
McCONNELL WILL MOVE ON TO THE
BARRETT VOTE?
>> I DO THINK -- YES, I DO THINK
SO.
THEY HAVE BEEN FULL STEAM AHEAD.
IT’S ONLY BEEN A MONTH SINCE
RUTH
RUTH BADER BURG DIES, BUT THEY
ARE -- GINSBURG DIED, BUT THEY
HAVE THE VOTES, AND THEY WANT
THAT WIN BEFORE, YOU KNOW, THE
ELECTION WHICH IS IN TWO WEEKS.
SO I THINK BOTH THE WHITE HOUSE
AND THE SENATE ARE MOVING REALLY
FORCEFULLY AHEAD ON THAT.
THINK YOU’LL SEE BOTH OF THOSE
VOTES THIS WEEK.
ARTHEL: WOW.
ALL RIGHT.
WELL, MAYBE I’LL TALK TO YOU