House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is stuck.
She has overplayed her hand in the coronavirus relief negotiations, and now she’s left with two bad choices: Leave money on the table and anger Democratic voters, or cave to White House demands.
The Democratic leader has been here before, negotiating a controversial spending deal help the struggling U.S. economy. With Republicans again balking at big government bailouts, the Democrats tried to use that leverage to force President Donald Trump into a politically risky standoff over help for millions of Americans.
But Trump’s moves over the weekend show Pelosi has overplayed her hand, critics say.
“When Democrats refused to negotiate because they thought they had the winning hand, (of course the President wouldn’t hold up relief for the American people in an election year they thought) the President called their bluff and shrewdly went around them with a series of executive orders,” Christopher Arps, a conservative activist, wrote in a RedState op-ed Monday. “Now the Democrats look recalcitrant and political while Americans are hurting economically due to COVID.”
“Schumer and Pelosi have realized their blunder and that’s why they are now calling for direct talks with the President to restart the negotiations,” Arps concluded. “In this round, the master negotiator got clearly outmaneuvered.”
Politico also wrote that Pelosi may have been flanked by Trump and Republican lawmakers. Fox News star Chris Wallace asked Pelosi directly over the weekend if she’d made a mistake in the negotiating process, which she dismissed.
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Of course, like all things in D.C. swamp politics, not everyone is convinced.
“It’s impossible to know whether she has overplayed her hand until we see if there is a COVID package,” says Michael Steel, a former top aide to then-Speaker John Boehner.
Monday brought no new talks between Trump’s team and negotiators on Capitol Hill. Over the weekend, he launched a series of executive actions that give the appearance of a White House taking charge — but they still need help from Congress.
The president’s orders seek to reverse the devastating fallout from unemployment assistance, eviction protections, and other aid that has expired. But there are limits, and legal pitfalls, in trying to make an end run around the legislative branch.
Pelosi snapped when asked about the president’s actions by the media, and dismissed Trump’s proposals Monday as an “illusion” in an interview on MSNBC.
Trump said he’s still quite open to a deal with Congress if Pelosi backs down. “So now Schumer and Pelosi want to meet to make a deal. Amazing how it all works, isn’t it,” he tweeted Monday. “They know my phone number.”
In the meantime, countless Americans are already feeling the squeeze. What had been a $600 weekly unemployment benefit boost is gone, as are federal eviction protections. Schools that had been eyeing federal help now face the prospect of reopening on shoestring budgets.
The virus shows no signs of easing, with more than 5 million infections and 160,000 deaths nationwide and stark new evidence that many Americans’ jobs may never return.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, on a conference call with governors on Monday, said action by Congress remains the administration’s “first choice.”
Mnuchin and Vice President Mike Pence urged the governors to reach out to congressional leaders and push for legislation, according to audio of the call obtained by The Associated Press.
“Anytime they want to meet — and they’re wiling to negotiate and have a new proposal — we’re more than happy to meet,” Mnuchin said later at the White House. He confirmed he has not spoken to the Democratic leaders since talks collapsed Friday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accused the Democrats of “hostage taking.”
The GOP leader, who has chosen to stay on the sidelines in the talks, has a weakened hand because unlike the Democratic leaders, who have most of their rank-and-file behind them, his Republican majority is fractured.
Almost half the GOP senators prefer no new aid at all.
“Democrats think they smell an opening,” he said.
McConnell nevertheless can play an influential role if and when he decides to bring the votes he’s sure of to the table. That could lead to one path for an eventual deal.
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The Associated Press contributed to this article