House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Wednesday that she hopes to seal a deal in the next few days to raise the debt ceiling and fix spending levels for the next two years. The goal is to send a bill to the Senate by next Thursday, just before the House leaves town for its six-week August break, giving the upper chamber a week to pass the legislation before it begins its own break.
After speaking with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is in France for a meeting of G7 finance ministers, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said they were optimistic that they were close to a deal. “We were on the phone with Mnuchin and we’re making progress,” Schumer said. “I’m very hopeful, ok? That’s all I can say.”
Asked about the delay in completing the deal, which reportedly revolves around how to account for $22 billion in funding for a Veterans Administration health care program, Pelosi said simply, “It’s all about money, right?”
