The speaker enters negotiations with the White House with the upper hand.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to unveil legislation Wednesday to provide protections for Americans who may contract coronavirus, an opening bid in tricky negotiations with President Donald Trump over measures to salve the economy amid crippling fear and uncertainty.
The details of Pelosi’s package are not yet finalized, though she’s indicated that it should include provisions targeted at hourly workers who would be particularly hard-hit if forced to self-quarantine, as well as provisions to ensure workers won’t be penalized by employers for taking sick days.
Pelosi, who has already begun talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin over the contours of a plan that the White House could support, enters the negotiations with a lot of leverage.
Trump has made clear he wants to pass significant economic stimulus to aid industries suffering from coronavirus fears — from hotels to airlines to cruise ship companies, each of whom employ tens of thousands of American workers. Trump has also called for payroll tax relief, which has largely been seen as a nonstarter on Capitol Hill, though it could become a chip in a more sprawling package. That’s left Pelosi, who spoke again with Mnuchin Wednesday morning, taking the lead position.
“They have been positive in their response,” Pelosi told her whip team Wednesday of her interactions with Mnuchin.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/11/nancy-pelosi-coronavirus-stimulus-package-125564