WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 13: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks Vice President Mike Pence (R) while Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin (L) speaks during the daily briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House April 13, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The Treasury Department and leading airlines continue negotiating over terms of coronavirus-relief payments, with Treasury sticking to a proposal that could give the government an ownership stake in the nation’s leading carriers. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said agreements with the airlines over terms of the $25 billion in payroll assistance could come soon. The chief holdup is Treasury’s insistence that some of the $25 billion in payroll assistance be in the form of loans, not cash. The airlines thought they had a deal: Congress agreed to give passenger airlines $25 billion in cash grants to cover payroll costs for six months.
