/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f7cff794e4571a31c7fb23f/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=4500&cropY1=319&cropY2=2850&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "‘He Never Even Really Tried’: Biden Slams Trump For Ending Stimulus Talks")
Topline
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden forcefully condemned President Donald Trump for putting an end to the administration’s participation in stimulus negotiations, accusing him of never trying to get a deal and promising to pursue a more personal, hands-on approach to bipartisan dealmaking.
Democratic presidential candidate former US Vice President Joe Biden speaks to the media before … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump on Tuesday tweeted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s $2.2 trillion stimulus proposal – aimed at boosting U.S. economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic spurred a deep recession – was a “bailout” for “poorly run, high crime, Democrat States” that includes “money that is in no way related to COVID-19.”
“I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election,” Trump added, claiming that, if reelected, he would “immediately” pass a “major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business.”
Biden joined Pelosi – and about a half-dozen GOP lawmakers – in condemning the move in a statement claiming the plan would have “preserved hundreds of thousands of jobs” and provided “help for our businesses and schools, for families struggling and for those unemployed.”
“Make no mistake,” the statement continued, “Donald Trump decided today that none of that – none of it – matters to him. There will be no help from Washington in the foreseeable future.”
Biden took aim at Trump for urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to instead focus his efforts on confirming Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, calling it a “mad dash” to “take away your health care coverage as quickly as possible.”
Biden claimed Trump “never even really tried to get a deal” and “never stepped up to lead” after the passage of the CARES Act in May, and said that, unlike Trump, he would “bring Republicans and Democrats together in the Oval Office, on the phone or by zoom” to get a deal.
Forbes has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Crucial Quote
“That’s the job. To deliver for the people of this country,” Biden concluded. “That’s what I did when I went to Congress and got the votes for the Recovery Act… That’s what I will do as president. And it’s what Donald Trump has again made clear.”
Surprising Fact
Just hours after shutting down stimulus talks, Trump tweeted “True!” in response to a CNBC tweet noting that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned of dire economic consequences from not passing a stimulus bill and said the risk of “overdoing it” by spending too much on a stimulus package is low.
Big Number
72%. That’s the share of voters in a New York Times/Siena College poll released in September who said they support a $2 trillion stimulus package, compared to just 23% who oppose it. A Hill/HarrisX poll released Monday found that 74% of voters want the Senate to prioritize a stimulus deal, while 26% said they want them to prioritize the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, which is what Trump said he told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to do.
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