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McConnell expects coronavirus stimulus in 2021, while Pelosi and Trump push for a deal sooner

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who have not agreed on much related to the virus response in recent months, differed again Friday when asked about when stimulus could pass. The Kentucky Republican told radio host Hugh Hewitt that he expects to handle relief “right at the beginning of the year,” with legislation “targeted particularly at small businesses that are struggling and hospitals that are now dealing with a second wave of the coronavirus.”

Pelosi said she expects Congress “certainly will have something [done] at the start of the new presidency.” But the California Democrat told MSNBC that “we don’t want to have to wait that long, because people have needs.” The winner of the presidential election will get inaugurated on Jan. 20, and the speaker said she believes Democrat Joe Biden will take the oath of office that day.

At the same time, President Donald Trump pushed for even more rapid passage of stimulus than the top Senate Republican and Democrat did. Speaking to reporters Friday, the president claimed “we will have a tremendous stimulus package immediately after the election.”

The mixed messages follow a day of tense correspondence between Pelosi and the Trump administration as the sides struggle to break a monthslong impasse over stimulus. How they could craft a bipartisan deal capable of passing the Republican-held Senate and Democratic-controlled House remains unclear.

While Pelosi is widely expected to lead a Democratic-majority in the House next year, the Senate and White House both could change hands after Tuesday’s election.

Reference: CNBC