Mnuchin: Next year we'll have a great economy like we had before
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on efforts to restart the U.S. economy if the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News Wednesday that the latest coronavirus stimulus package formulated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is "very partisan" and unlikely to go anywhere.
"I'm very pleased that during this crisis, Congress acted very quickly in a bipartisan way," Mnuchin told "The Story." "The last two bills in the Senate [passed] 96-0 and 100-0, and we just got ready to spend $3 trillion.
"What Speaker Pelosi is moving forward with is clearly a very partisan bill," he added. "This is not in the spirit of anything that has been bipartisan and I can't see that moving forward in its current framework in any event."
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Host Martha MacCallum followed up by asking Mnuchin whether reports that Pelosi and President Trump are not on regular speaking terms are true.
"I can't comment," Mnuchin responded. "I know she and the president have had conversations at various different times.
"Over the last month I have been the primary negotiator, and as you know I lived up at the Senate almost round the clock, and I spoke to [Senate Majority Leader]Mitch McConnell, [House Minority Leader] Kevin McCarthy, [Senate Minority LEader Charles] Schumer and Pelosi and the president and [White House Chief of Staff] Mark Meadows constantly," he continued.
"This was a team effort on our side. Although I was the primary negotiator, I was acting at the president's direction."
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In an interview with the Associated Press published earlier Wednesday, Pelosi defended the size of the $3 trillion stimulus by saying that the "American people are worth it."
The speaker acknowledged that the proposal is a starting point in negotiations with President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, most of whom have flatly rejected the coronavirus relief bill headed for a House vote Friday.
“DOA,” Trump said during an event at the White House. “Dead on arrival.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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