Pelosi and Mnuchin make progress in stimulus talks, but big differences remain, White House chief of staff says

The Trump administration and Democrats made progress on coronavirus stimulus talks Tuesday but still need to overcome major differences to reach a deal before the 2020 election, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said.

Meadows outlined the state of talks following a 45-minute conversation between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. He told CNBC the sides have made “good progress” but “still have a ways to go” to strike an agreement. Pelosi and Mnuchin plan to speak again Wednesday.

“I would think that those discussions hopefully would make progress again tomorrow and perhaps the following day,” Meadows said, adding that he hopes to see “some kind of agreement before the weekend.”

In a subsequent tweeted statement, Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said the conversation “provided more clarity and common ground as [Pelosi and Mnuchin] move closer to an agreement.” He also said the negotiators called for House committee chairs “to work to resolve differences about funding levels and language.”