U.S. airlines were again holding out hope for another $25 billion in payroll aid after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin yesterday discussed the possibility of standalone legislation for the struggling sector, Reuters reported. Their conversation was the latest in a series of turbulent developments on relief prospects in recent weeks for airlines, which last week began the furlough of tens of thousands of employees. Airline shares jumped on Wednesday after sinking abruptly a day earlier on remarks by President Donald Trump that his administration would abandon talks with congressional Democrats over a major stimulus package until after the Nov. 3 election. Airlines’ relief request enjoys wide bipartisan backing, but House of Representatives Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio failed last week to win approval of a standalone bipartisan measure for airlines by unanimous consent after some Republicans objected. Pelosi asked Mnuchin by phone on Wednesday to review DeFazio’s bill “so that they could have an informed conversation,” her spokesman, Drew Hammill, wrote on Twitter. They spoke again yesterday evening for 20 minutes and agreed to continue discussions today, Hammill said. A separate Republican-led attempt to pass standalone legislation in the Senate also failed after opposition from three Republican senators, including Rick Scott of Florida. The Republican bill proposes taking unspent money from a first COVID-19 relief package, while the House Democrats’ proposal does not include any cuts to existing spending to fund the program.
