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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Trump administration will largely accept Democrats’ proposed language on coronavirus testing in stimulus package talks, potentially removing one big obstacle for a comprehensive deal.
Speaking during a Thursday morning interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Mnuchin said, “when I speak to [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi today, I’m going to tell her we’re not going to let the testing issue stand in the way, that we’ll fundamentally agree with their testing language, subject to some minor issues. This issue is being overblown.”
Pelosi has repeatedly said any deal should have money for increased testing for the COVID-19 and that the provisions of the testing language were in dispute. But even if progress is made between Mnuchin and Pelosi, it remains unclear if a pact would pass muster with the Senate, where Republicans want a much narrower approach and a much smaller price tag.
