WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said on Friday that President Donald Trump is willing to sign a $1.3 trillion coronavirus relief bill, a $300 billion increase from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s offer on legislation meant to blunt the economic effects of the global pandemic.
The Republican president is “right now willing to sign something at $1.3 trillion,” a “number that’s been offered in private,” but House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, is sticking to her demands for a $2.2 trillion bill, Meadows told reporters.
Fellow Republican McConnell has proposed a $1 trillion plan heavy on liability protections for businesses and schools. Meadows added that he has had “some very good conversations” with both progressive and moderate Democrats as he helps negotiate the latest round of massive economic stimulus.
(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
