2 min ago
Trump says he "canceled" coronavirus deal with Congress last night
From CNN's Maegan Vazquez
Evan Vucci/AP
President Trump said during Tuesday’s virtual town hall on Fox News that he “canceled” a stimulus deal with Democrats last night.
“I canceled the deal last night. I said I’m not going to sign that deal because (House Speaker)
Nancy Pelosi came in and put a lot of things in the deal that had nothing to do with the workers, that had to do with an agenda that they’ve been trying to get passed for 10 years,” Trump said in the Rose Garden of the White House. “I told … a lot of people there’s no way I’m signing that deal.”
The President said Republican Sens. John Kennedy, Ben Sasse and Lindsey Graham also spoke to him to advise him not to get onboard with the deal.
“All of the sudden they start throwing all of the little Green New Deal stuff in,” Trump said of Democrats’ additions to the stimulus proposal. He said they wanted assurances on what board rooms would look like, on green energy, windmills and oil.
More context: After another marathon day of negotiations,
Congress failed to make a deal Monday to pass a massive stimulus package to respond to the economic fallout of the
coronavirus. But leaders emerged from late-night meetings in the Capitol optimistic that a deal could be struck Tuesday despite tweets from Trump trashing the deal and baselessly accusing Democrats of siding with "the virus."
Throughout the day today, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — including Senate leadership — have said that they are close on making a deal.