White House lurches in new direction on stimulus talks, pushing for airline aid

The White House’s ever-shifting economic relief agenda lurched in a new direction Wednesday as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tried to make a deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to rescue the airline industry, just a day after President Trump abruptly cut off talks on a broader stimulus bill. Mnuchin and Pelosi (D-Calif.) had two conversations Wednesday -- one in the morning and another in the evening -- about the possibility of a stand-alone bill for the airline industry, which just began mass layoffs after federal aid expired. Pelosi also sounded out Democratic lawmakers on the possibility at a closed-door meeting Wednesday evening, according to three people with knowledge of the discussion who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe it. Two of these people said that Democratic members still would prefer a comprehensive bill but are sensitive to the many jobs at risk in the airline industry. The new effort to fast-track airline aid comes as negotiators appear to have largely shelved prospects for broader unemployment aid and other assistance. But the situation seemed somewhat fluid in the wake of a late-night change of heart from Trump on Tuesday, where he demanded piecemeal legislation on $1,200 stimulus checks and small-business assistance, in addition to airline aid. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said the administration still held out hope for such one-off measures — even though Democrats have consistently rejected that approach — and Trump broke his coronavirus isolation Wednesday afternoon to go into the Oval Office, where a spokesman said he was being briefed on stimulus talks.<br/>