America’s COVID-19 relief saga continues, as US President Donald Trump has threatened to stall a $892bn coronavirus aid package passed by Congress on Monday after months of bitter negotiations.
In a video posted to his Twitter account on Tuesday evening, the President slammed the 5,500 page COVID-19 relief bill as a “disgrace” and said that the proposal had “almost nothing” to do with the deadly virus. Condemning congressional leaders’ decision to pass the legislation with a broader spending plan to fund government operations and the military, Trump said, “Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries, lobbyists and special interests while sending the bare minimum to the American people,” adding, “I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000… and to send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2020
Trump further demanded that the bill be stripped of foreign aid, which is included in every annual federal spending bill, and disapproved of other “wasteful and unnecessary” items in the draft, including funding for fish breeding and the Smithsonian museums.
The package, amounting to $2.3 trillion in total, includes $892 billion specifically to respond to the coronavirus crisis, which has killed more than 300,000 Americans. The plan includes unemployment benefits for millions of people at $300 for 11 weeks and provides for a round of $600 in direct payments to adults and children.
While Democrats have supported higher stimulus checks, the biggest opposition to such high figures, in fact, lies within Trump’s own party. Throughout the negotiation process, GOP leaders resisted considering a larger relief bill, citing concerns about an already rapidly expanding deficit. Stimulus checks were not even included in the initial draft of a recent bipartisan plan, because lawmakers wanted to keep costs down in order to win GOP support.
However, after Trump’s announcement, Democrat leaders welcomed his suggestions. “Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the President wanted for direct checks. At last, the President has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it!” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote on Twitter. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, has not said anything about how he would vote in such a measure, though it is unlikely that he would support bigger checks.
Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the President wanted for direct checks. At last, the President has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it! https://t.co/Th4sztrpLV
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 23, 2020
Trump on Tuesday did not explicitly say whether he would actually veto the legislation. However, if it moves forward with a direct veto, Congress has the support it needs to override it. Both, the US House and Senate are already planning to return to the floor next week to override the President’s veto of the annual defence bill.