Pelosi Sets 48-Hour Deadline, Airlines Hopeful for Stimulus Package

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday she set a 48-hour deadline for both parties to reach an agreement on a second stimulus package if they want a deal done before the Nov. 3 election.

Presumably, the 48-hour window means Tuesday, Oct. 20, which would then give Congress exactly two weeks to get it passed prior to the election.

Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have been negotiating a new stimulus deal, including much-needed aid for the beleaguered airline industry, but have been bogged down by such disagreements as disputes over provisions on state and local funding, as well as Republican pushback over the scope of spending, according to Vox Media.

During an appearance on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Pelosi suggested there likely won’t be time to pass a new package before November 3 if lawmakers don’t reach an agreement quickly.

“The 48 [hours] only relates to if we want to get it done before the election, which we do,” she said.

Vox noted that Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, tweeted Saturday that there are “an array of additional differences” between what Democrats want and what Mnuchin has offered, which would need to be worked out in the next two days. Pelosi said Sunday, for example, that language over funds for coronavirus testing was an ongoing sticking point.

Currently, a push for a separate measure by Senate Republicans and negotiations between House Democrats and the White House are happening simultaneously, albeit separately.