Mnuchin says White House is willing to compromise on testing in COVID bill - CBS News

Washington — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin signaled that the White House is willing to compromise with House Democrats over a provision on testing in a coronavirus relief proposal, saying that he would tell Pelosi "we're not going to let the testing issue stand in the way" of crafting a deal.

"When I speak to Pelosi today, I'm going to tell her that we're not going to let the testing issue stand in the way, that we'll fundamentally agree with their testing language subject to minor issues," Mnuchin said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday morning.

Pelosi had previously rejected a $1.8 trillion proposal by the White House, arguing that it did not go as far as the $2.4 trillion relief measure passed in the House last month.

But there's another obstacle — the number Mnuchin and Pelosi are negotiating is far higher than the one Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is willing to consider.

He told reporters in Kentucky on Thursday that "we're in discussions with the secretary of the Treasury and the speaker about a higher amount," but said "that's not what I'm going to put on the floor.".

The president said in an interview Fox Business earlier on Thursday that he would be willing to go above $1.8 trillion for a final deal.

A spokesperson for Pelosi wrote Thursday on Twitter that the speaker and Mnuchin had spoken for nearly an hour and a half that afternoon.

Mnuchin said Thursday morning the White House and Democrats have agreed to $178 billion overall for health measures, with $75 billion going to testing and contact tracing, and to $28 billion for vaccines and distribution.

He said the White House would not move forward with a deal on testing without additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program. 

Some members of Congress are pushing Pelosi to come to a deal with the White House