President Donald Trump said congressional Democrats don’t want to make a deal on another round of economic stimulus because they think it would help him win re-election.
“They don’t want to make a deal,” Trump said at a news conference on Monday, after he was asked why he won’t meet with Democratic leaders to negotiate. “I don’t have to meet with them in order to be turned down.”
The Democrat-led House passed an additional $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill in May that the Republican-led Senate has refused to consider. Negotiations on compromise legislation with the White House have stalled.
“They think if the country does as badly as possible, even though a lot of people are being hurt, that’s good for the Democrats,” Trump said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, has said the sides are too far apart on spending levels to reach an agreement.
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