Still no dice: Dems, GOP stall on aid deal

SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER: "It was a disappointing meeting."

Democrats and Republicans are still at a political impasse over a new coronavirus relief measure, after negotiations fell apart on Friday.

Democrats want to include an extension of jobless benefits which expired last week.

Jobless Americans were receiving an extra $600 a week.

Under the Republicans' plan hammered out with the White House, that number would drop to $200.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congressional Democrats offered to reduce a proposed coronavirus aid package by $1 trillion if Republicans would add a trillion to their counter-offer, but President Donald Trump's negotiators turned them down.

"This is about a safety net for our children. Just as we have a safety net for markets, the markets are doing well. They had their safety net. Let's have that, because the safety net is not just for the children. It's for our whole economic system."

But still no dice. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said he wanted to hear something new:

"I am a strongly disappointed that we came up here today just to hear the same thing repeated over and over again, which is the same thing that we've heard repeated for the last two weeks."

But Democrats are holding their ground.

PELOSI: "I've told them, come back when you when you are ready to give us a higher number."

After nearly two weeks of talks that have failed to make substantial progress, President Donald Trump, who has said he would act independently by an executive order if no deal is reached, in a tweet late Friday said he'd be going quote "a different way!"