Trump halts COVID-19 relief talks until after election

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called an abrupt end to negotiations with Democrats over additional COVID-19 relief, delaying action until after election despite omius warnings from his own Federal Reserve chairman about deteriorating conditions in ecomy.

Trump tweeted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was "t negotiating in good faith" and said he's asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to direct all his focus before election into confirming his U.S. Supreme Court minee, Amy Coney Barrett.

"I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business," Trump tweeted.

unexpected turn could be a blow to Trump's reelection prospects and comes as his administration and campaign are in turmoil. Trump is quarantining in White House with a case of COVID, and latest batch of opinion polls shows him significantly behind former Vice President Joe Biden with election four weeks away.

collapse means that Trump and down-ballot Republicans will face reelection without delivering aid to voters — such as a pre-election batch of $1,200 direct payments, or "Trump checks," to most individuals — even as national jobless rate is about 8% with millions facing threat of eviction.

Trump's move came immediately after he spoke with top GOP leaders in Congress, who had been warily watching talks between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Pelosi. Many Senate Republicans had signaled y would t be willing to go along with any stimulus legislation that topped $1 trillion, and GOP aides had been privately dismissive of prospects for a deal.

Last week, White House said it was backing a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and dangled possibility of a COVID-19 relief bill of $1.6 trillion. But that offer was rejected by Pelosi.

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