Pelosi 'hopeful' COVID-19 stimulus deal will be reached

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday she hoped to have a coronavirus aid deal with the White House this week, after speaking with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin for almost an hour.

Colette Luke has more.

After talks were deadlocked for months, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday she was “hopeful” that a new coronavirus stimulus deal could be reached with the White House this week.

Her comments come after speaking with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for about 50 minutes and making plans for further talks on Wednesday.

House Democrats on Monday unveiled a $2.2 trillion dollar measure, scaling back their previous demands.

But White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow made clear in an interview with CNBC that the White House still views the $2.2 trillion dollar figure as too high.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows who has previously said that President Donald Trump would be willing to sign a $1.3 trillion dollar measure told reporters on Tuesday that he was in touch with Mnuchin and Trump on the matter and hoped progress would be made.

Lawmakers are under intense pressure as millions of Americans remain unemployed, small businesses are suffering and the emergency lifeline that protected airline jobs is set expire this Thursday, with tens of thousands of jobs hanging in the balance.

The House bill unveiled this week would provide $28 billion dollars for the aviation sector, another $120 billion dollars to restaurants as well as more stimulus checks for Americans, and an extension of special unemployment benefits.