Who Won and Lost in the Stimulus Bill?

Jonathan Bernstein: “I got one wrong. In the deal reached Sunday on the pandemic relief and stimulus bill, it appears that President Donald Trump successfully negotiated for one of his priorities: the return of the three-martini lunch.”

“Oddly enough, this comes at a time when, from all reports, Trump is paying no attention to his job, instead focusing only on efforts to undermine the rule of law by overturning an election that he lost. Presumably he told Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who negotiated the deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on behalf of the White House, that he didn’t much care what was in the bill as long as it included this provision.”

“As for the Democrats? This particular log-roll seems like a big win for them. The business deduction may be lousy policy and a subsidy for the rich, but it’s relatively harmless overall — and liberal policy experts are thrilled with what they got in return. So it’s a win for Trump, a win for Democrats and a loss for congressional Republicans. If there’s been a deal with any similar configuration over the past four years, I can’t think of it.”