Mnuchin to Visit Middle East for First Time Since Pandemic Began
Mnuchin to Visit Middle East for First Time Since Pandemic Began
(Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plans to travel to the Middle East next week for the first time since the pandemic, as prospects dimmed for the U.S. stimulus legislation he’s been negotiating.
Mnuchin is tentatively expected to travel to Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, although the plans could still change, people familiar with the plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity as preparations continue. Mnuchin, who has visited the region at this time of year annually since 2017, is set to meet with counterparts.
The trip by one of Donald Trump’s most influential cabinet secretaries comes as the president touts Israel’s normalization of relations with Bahrain and the UAE -- agreements the administration helped broker. Trump and his allies have hailed them on the campaign trail as a breakthrough in peace talks, though details are thin.
Mnuchin has tested negative daily since a Covid-19 outbreak struck the White House, with Trump, his wife and several senior aides falling ill. Mnuchin typically takes precautions including masks and social distancing in events that don’t involve Trump. The Treasury Department declined to comment.
Mnuchin and Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, have been the lead negotiators for the administration in talks on a new stimulus package. Trump has repeatedly roiled those discussions, first by pulling out of talks last week and later urging a larger scale stimulus effort than many Republican lawmakers can accept.
Prospects have been diminishing for a deal, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the White House all remaining at odds.
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