It is not over.
As many know, Trump tweeted yesterday that he was ending negotiations, blaming Nancy Pelosi. Here is a direct quote from the tweet: "I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business." He is instead asking McConnell to focus solely on pushing his SCOTUS nominee through before the election.
This means he is withholding relief he acknowledges we need and is blackmailing the American people for votes. It is cruel.
According to our sources, Trump sent the tweet ending negotiations because of a private phone call he had with Senator Mitch McConnell in which McConnell told Trump that he was being "fooled by Pelosi" because Senate Republicans will never pass a pandemic relief bill.
McConnell is wrong, though.
We have been in meetings with Senate staff for the last two weeks and there are Senators on BOTH sides of the aisle who are saying this relief bill is important, and that they WOULD vote for the $600 if it made it to the Senate floor. Many of those Senators are up for reelection and trying to appease constituents. (So yes, reaching out to them works, please continue to!)
Experts think there is still hope. Trump is swingable. The stock market dove after he said he was ending negotiations and he immediately said he would pass piecemeal legislation. He said he would pass $1,200 stimulus checks. We don't want piecemeal legislation, but we do like seeing how swingable he is. Mnuchin and Pelosi are actually still negotiating, but they have shifted to a standalone bill just for airlines, which is unacceptable.
We cannot give up at this moment when pressure it most needed.
The advice we have been given is that if Trump hears from other GOP Senators that they DO want a pandemic relief bill for their constituents, that will put the pressure back on for negotiations to proceed in full force.
We have some actions in the works, including follow up conversations with all of the GOP Senator offices we've already met with.
We are starting tonight with some social media pressure that we need your help with.
We need #ReliefNow and #DoNotAbandonUS to trend on social media. We have info on that and graphics at ExtendPUA.org/DNAU.
Please join us in this easy ask and spread the word. Let's Go.
And then tomorrow, call your Senators, tell them this matters, and if you know anyone if any of our target states, make sure THEY call their Senators.
This fight isn't over.