Trump shuts down pandemic relief package talks until after election

Congress has been stuck in neutral on an additional coronavirus relief bill for months – and on Tuesday, President Donald Trump quashed any hope that one might come to fruition before the presidential election in November, NPR reports. 

In a series of tweets, the president said he told his representatives to stop negotiating with Democrats on new COVID-19 aid, pushing back the possibility of a stimulus bill until after the election. 

House Democrats passed a stimulus bill in May and a revised version of that bill last week, but have yet to find common ground with Republicans. Senate Republicans pushed forward their own package in July, which they later largely ignored in favor of a so-called “skinny bill.” Though both parties found some common ground in offering stimulus checks and continued aid to businesses and nonprofits, several issues have stalled negotiations. This includes restoring the $600 additional unemployment benefit or offering it at a lower rate and the question of whether to provide aid to states and localities. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has held off on deciding whether to pursue more drastic cuts at the state level as he assessed the likelihood of additional congressional relief and the outcome of the presidential election. Assuming talks continue to remain nonexistent or stalled over the next month, November will likely bring a clearer sense of what cuts may look like in New York and what that means for localities and nonprofits relying on that funding.