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Pelosi, Mnuchin to speak Tuesday on COVID-19 relief

FILE PHOTO: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi are due to speak on Tuesday, with a source familiar saying the talks will take place at 1 pm EST (1800 GMT).

The two have not spoken since talks on coronavirus relief broke down before the Nov. 3 U.S. election.

Mnuchin told reporters as he walked into a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the two would be talking about COVID relief and government funding, which expires this month.

"I will be speaking to the Speaker this afternoon, we’re going to talk about where we are on the appropriations issue. Keeping the government running, that is the first priority. And I’m sure we’ll also be mentioning COVID Relief," Mnuchin said.

Asked by an NBC reporter if President Donald Trump wanted a COVID relief deal by the end of the year, Mnuchin said, "He wants to see funding especially for small businesses."

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle)