Trump's stimulus proposal draws opposition from congressional Democrats and Republicans

A new $1.8t economic stimulus proposal from the Trump administration drew criticism from congressional Democrats and Republicans on Saturday, diminishing hopes for a coronavirus relief deal before the Nov. 3 election. In a weekly letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the Trump administration’s proposal lacked a “strategic plan to crush the virus” and gave President Donald Trump too much discretion to decide how funds were allocated. “At this point, we still have disagreement on many priorities, and Democrats are awaiting language from the Administration on several provisions as the negotiations on the overall funding amount continue,” Pelosi’s letter said. On a conference call on Saturday morning with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, multiple Republican senators criticized the price tag of the Trump administration’s proposal, a source familiar with the matter said. Mnuchin floated the $1.8t proposal in a 30-minute Friday afternoon phone conversation with Pelosi, according to the White House. White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said the administration wanted to keep spending below $2t but was eager to enact a fresh round of direct payments to individuals as well as aid for small businesses and airlines. <br/>