Pelosi: Democrats ready to halve COVID-19 bill to get deal



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FILE PHOTO: U.S. House of Commons Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks about stalled congressional talks with the Trump administration on the latest coronavirus relief during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington , USA, August 13, 2020. REUTERS / Sarah Silbiger

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday Democrats in Congress were prepared to cut their coronavirus relief bill in half to get agreement on a new legislation with the White House and Republicans.

“We have to try to get this deal done now,” Pelosi said in an online interview with Politico. “We are ready to cut our bill in half to meet the needs now. We will resume it in January. We will see them again in January. But for now, we can cut the bill in half.

But his remarks did not signal a new position for Democrats, according to a senior aide.

The Democratic-led House passed legislation providing more than $ 3 trillion in relief in May. This month, Democrats offered to cut that $ 1 trillion, but the White House rejected it.

The two sides remain around $ 2 trillion apart, with large gaps in funding for schools, aid to state and local governments, and better unemployment benefits.

Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Chris Reese and Chizu Nomiyama

Our standards:Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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