Pelosi ends hopes of a Covid-19 relief bill before election day and blames the White House and McConnell for failing 'miserably' over coronavirus

Hopes of a Covid-19 relief bill before Election Day have been ended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who blamed the White House for 'failing miserably'.

In a letter to house Democrats on Tuesday, Pelosi said that efforts made by Congressional Democrats to pass a bill have been resisted by the White House and Senate Speaker Mitch McConnell.

She also cited White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' comments on Sunday, in which he said 'We're not going to control the pandemic.'

'For a long time now, Congressional Democrats have laid out a strategic plan to crush the virus,' she wrote.  

In a letter to house Democrats on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (pictured last week) said that efforts made by Congressional Democrats to pass a bill have been resisted by the White House and Senate Speaker Mitch McConnell

'The White House and Mitch McConnell have resisted, and on Sunday, Mark Meadows told us why saying "We're not going to control the pandemic,"' referring to the chief of staff's interview on CNN's 'State of the Union' last Sunday.

'From "hoax" to hundreds of thousands dead, the White House has failed miserably — not by accident, but by decision,' she wrote. 

'Now we know why they resisted science at the expense of lives, livelihoods and the life of our democracy. Again, it was a decision to do so.'

Pelosi's letter comes as U.S. Covid-19 case numbers reached a record high this past weekend amid climbing hospitalizations. Over 225,000 people have died in the country, and there is currently a 7.9 unemployment rate. 

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell moved to adjourn the Senate until November 9, killing off any hopes of further coronavirus relief before the election. 

McConnell and his Republican colleagues head into the election recess on the back of celebrations at the White House on Monday evening following Amy Comey Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court.

President Trump (pictured during a campaign rally on Tuesday night) has also previously indicated that no stimulus bill would be agreed before next week's election

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) leaves the Senate floor after the Senate voted to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday

A spokesman for McConnell said that he needed to make no further comment on the 'continued Democrat filibuster on COVID relief in the Senate.'

Democrat Senators said their Republican counterparts would 'rather jam through another extreme right-wing nominee' than consider 'the real and dire needs' of Americans amid the pandemic.  

Lawmakers have tried fruitlessly for months to reach an agreement on a follow-up to Pelosi's CARES Act as Republicans brought their $1 trillion number up to $1.8 trillion and Democrat's lowered their initial number from upwards of $3 trillion down to $2.2 trillion. 

Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spent weeks in talks over a potential new coronavirus aid package. Congress and the White House approved more than $3trillion worth of coronavirus relief measures earlier this year, but Mnuchin, as well as members of Congress from both parties, have argued more stimulus is needed

Nancy Pelosi's letter to Democratic colleagues in full: 

Dear Democratic Colleague,

For a long time now, Congressional Democrats have laid out a strategic plan to crush the virus. The White House and Mitch McConnell have resisted, and on Sunday, Mark Meadows told us why, saying 'We're not going to control the pandemic.'

From 'hoax' to hundreds of thousands dead, the White House has failed miserably – not by accident, but by decision. Now we know why they resisted science at the expense of lives, livelihoods and the life of our democracy. Again, it was a decision to do so.

Today, the blowback from the Meadows confession made it imperative for the President to declare, 'After the election, we will get the best stimulus package you have ever seen.'

The President's words only have meaning if he can get Mitch McConnell to take his hand off the pause button.

This week, we continue to put pen to paper, with thanks to our Committee Chairs for their mastery of the legislation and loyalty to America's working families.

Thank you for your leadership For The People.

President Trump has also previously indicated that no stimulus bill would be agreed before next week's election.

'Nancy Pelosi is only interested in bailing out badly-run, crime-ridden Democrat cities and states. That’s all she is interested in,' Trump told reporters Tuesday. 'She is not interested in helping the people.'

'After the election, we will get the best stimulus package you have ever seen,' the president added. 'I think we are going to take back the House because of her.'

Trump has been unclear about the next round of relief, saying earlier in the month that the next stimulus package would only come 'after I win' the election.

But he then did a U-turn and urged Congress to approve piecemeal coronavirus relief measures - that he would sign - that would have included another round of $1,200 for Americans.

'OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!' Trump tweeted on October from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, while he was hospitalized for coronavirus.

Earlier this month, the House passed a $2.2 trillion Covid-19 relief bill, winning the vote 214-207. The bill received no Republican support and 18 Democrats voted against it.

The White House and Republicans introduced their own $1.8 trillion framework during negotiations with Pelosi. Trump, however, contradicted his own officials saying that he was willing to go higher than that number. 

Despite the president's verbal commitment, Republicans expressed their opposition to another stimulus package in general – let alone one that goes above $1 trillion. 

Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spent weeks in talks over a potential new coronavirus aid package.

Congress and the White House approved more than $3trillion worth of coronavirus relief measures earlier this year, but Mnuchin, as well as members of Congress from both parties, have argued more stimulus is needed.    

Mark Meadows said on Sunday that the White House is no longer focusing on stopping the spread of coronavirus, and instead is putting its efforts into developing a vaccine and other therapeutics to combat the pandemic.

CNN's Jake Tapper and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows got into a terse back-and-forth Sunday as Meadows revealed President Donald Trump's coronavirus strategy is not to 'control' the pandemic, but create therapeutics and a vaccine 

The White House chief of staff got into a terse back-and-forth with CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday morning over President Donald Trump's strategy to not try to 'control' the virus because it cannot be controlled.

'Here's what we have to do. We're not going to control the pandemic, we are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations,' Meadows said in his interview on 'State of the Union.'

'Why aren't we going to get control of the pandemic?' Tapper asked.

'Because it is a contagious virus, just like the flu,' Meadows reasoned.

'Yeah, but why not make efforts to contain it?' the CNN host pushed.

Meadows assured, 'Well we are making efforts to contain it.'

'By running all over the country not wearing a mask? That's what the vice president's doing,' Tapper said, referencing Vice President Mike Pence continuing to travel for the reelection campaign after five of his staffers, including his chief of staff, tested positive for coronavirus.

'Jake, we can get into the back and forth. Let me just say this – is what we need to do is make sure we have the proper mitigation factors, whether it's therapies or vaccines or treatments to make sure that people don't die from this,' Meadows said. 'But to suggest that we're going to actually quarantine all of America, lock down our economy –'

'Nobody's saying that,' Tapper cut in.

'Well they are, Joe Biden's saying that. He says, lock everybody down, we're going to have a dark winter,' Meadows said, taking a jab at the Democratic nominee's comments from the debate in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday.

'That's what health officials say,' Tapper said, launching the two into a series of cross-talk points.