October 7, 2020 at 12:13 AM EDT
Halted stimulus talks undercut already ailing airlines and transit systems
By Lori Aratani and Michael Laris
Advocates of federal aid to keep 33,000 airline employees on the job lobbied for months, sending thousands of letters and donning protective masks to walk the halls of Congress. And it appeared to be working, garnering bipartisan backing and support from President Trump, who just last month said: “We’ll be helping the airlines.”
It all unraveled Tuesday with a series of tweets.
“I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hard-working Americans and Small Business,” Trump tweeted.
And it’s not just airline workers who will feel the impact.
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