Democratic and Republican leaders haven’t met to discuss a broad stimulus bill since August 7 when talks ended in a bitter stalemate. The next day, President Donald Trump bypassed Congress and signed executive orders and memorandums encompassing everything from enhanced unemployment benefits to extending students loan deferments, but also effectively killing stimulus negotiations.
But on Wednesday the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told Politico his staff reached out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday to restart negations on a broad stimulus bill. That plea to restart talks comes as economists worry the expired $600 enhanced unemployment benefits—which Trump temporarily replaced with $300 enhanced benefits—could pull the economy back into contraction.
