WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – As more Americans file for unemployment, the White House and Congressional Democrats are under increasing pressure to reach a deal on a new aid package. At the same time, President Trump is facing continued fallout from the debate and trying to catch up in fundraising.
While lawmakers are battling over coronavirus relief money, the presidential candidates are waging a fundraising war, looking for an infusion of cash to propel them through the final weeks before the election.
In the race for campaign cash, President Trump traveled to New Jersey for a private fundraiser. Joe Biden is holding a virtual fundraiser as new data shows his campaign doubled the president’s in battleground state ad spending last month. That’s before bringing in record sums during and after Tuesday night’s chaotic debate.
The White House is still in clean-up mode from the debate, insisting President Trump does condemn white supremacy, despite his failure to do so on the debate stage. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, “The president has denounced white supremacy the KKK and hate groups in all forms.”
Overnight in Minnesota, the president returned to divisive language in a state with a large Somali-American population. “Biden will turn Minnesota into a refugee camp,” he said.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin negotiated again Thursday over another coronavirus relief bill as weekly jobs numbers show more than 800,000 Americans filed first-time unemployment claims last week. The fifth week in a row under 900,000 is still a stunning toll.
And now, a blow to the airline industry: multiple carriers are cutting thousands of employees after the last round of stimulus money ran out, raising the stakes to strike a new deal.
“We not only have a dollars debate, we have a values debate,” Pelosi said. “Still, I’m optimistic.”
Mnuchin said, “We want to spend money on more PPP and we want to make sure the hotels, the airlines get business.”
Both parties are scrambling to steady the economy, knowing it’s a critical issue to voters already casting their ballots.
The two parties remain deeply divided over the size and scope of the next relief bill.
Democrats pushing a $2.2 trillion proposal Republicans have repeatedly signaled they don’t want to spend nearly that much.
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