“He said it would be part of any bill,” McEnany told reporters at a briefing at the White House. “But it’s Mitch McConnell’s, that’s his priority. This president is very focused on unemployment insurance.”
McEnany said Trump had two key priorities: adopting an expiring extension of federal unemployment insurance and deportation protections for Americans.
GOP SENATE REQUESTS COVID-19 LIABILITY PROTECTIONS FOR SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES
McConnell has made it clear that liability coverage is an obligation under any new legislation, but Democrats disagree and need more powerful coverage for workers.
PELOSI DRAWS THE LINE IN STIMULUS TALKS, SAYS THE HOUSE WILL NOT ACCEPT A SHORT-TERM EXTENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
Ky Republican McConnell has already been hurt by the White House when he said he opposed the Trump administration’s $1.75 billion request to fund a new FBI headquarters in the COVID-19 package.
McEnany said Friday that the FBI’s investment is “not a red line” for the White House and warned that the Trump administration is also in a position to advance its $377 million request in a West Wing renewal.
MCCONNELL LAUNCHES FUNDING FOR NEW FBI BUILDING IN CORONAVIRUS LEGISLATION
“Make no mistake about itArray … a $377 million proposal will not prevent Americans from receiving their checks [and] Array … Americans should not be deported. These are our No. 1 and No. 2 Array targets,” he said.
The federal unemployment extension of another $600 consistent with Friday weekends. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin began negotiating with Democrats this week on a possible deal, but they could not succeed in the consensus, and neither side blamed them.
“Democrats feel they have all the letters on their side,” Meadows said in a brief confrontation at the start of the White House press conference. “And they are in a position to play those cards at the expense of those who suffer.”
The White House has criticized Democrats for rejecting a week-long extension of the $600-a-week unemployment provisions to relieve Americans as they try to succeed in a deal. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat for California, said Friday that a short-term bill would be appropriate if an internal agreement is reached, but that’s not the case.
Pelosi, who is a primary aid program, said the White House “doesn’t perceive the gravity of the situation.”