'Devastating consequences': Biden blasts Trump for not signing COVID relief bill before unemployment aid lapses
Sarah Elbeshbishi | USA TODAY
Amid a flurry of tweets
"I simply want to get our great people $2000, rather than the measly $600 that is now in the bill," Trump tweeted Saturday morning. "Also, stop the billions of dollars in ‘pork’."
President-elect Joe Biden sharply criticized Trump’s refusal to sign the stimulus bill, calling it an "abdication of responsibility" with "devastating consequences," in a statement on Saturday.
"It is the day after Christmas, and millions of families don’t know if they’ll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority," Biden said.
As Trump's criticisms have thrown the future of the relief bill in doubt, temporary unemployment benefits approved in response to the pandemic expire Saturday, threatening a lapse in aid for as many as 14 million Americans. If the president doesn't sign the new relief bill by the end of the day Saturday, states won't be able to make those benefits available again for a full week, effectively cutting the aid extension from 11 to 10 weeks.
Biden blasted Trump for allowing the benefits to expire.
"This abdication of responsibility has devastating consequences. Today, about 10 million Americans will lose unemployment insurance benefits" Biden said. "In just a few days, government funding will expire, putting vital services and paychecks for military personnel at risk. In less than a week, a moratorium on evictions expires, putting millions at risk of being forced from their homes over the holidays."
Trump first denounced the $900 billion bipartisan relief package on Tuesday, calling it a "disgrace" in a video posted on Twitter.
"It's called the COVID relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID," Trump said in the video. "I’m asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple."
The $600 direct payments were one of the compromises Republicans and Democrats struck as they negotiated the contents of the relief package, with most Democrats wanting higher payments like the $1,200 payments Americans were given as a part of the last major stimulus bill.
GOP leaders were also assured by the White House that the president would support the bipartisan legislation, including the $600 direct payments Republicans agreed to.
Trump’s refusal to sign this bill further delays the first COVID relief in months of Congress repeatedly failed to come together on another stimulus package even as many of the measures and aid began to expire.
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Trump also tweeted about the direct payments on Christmas, asking why politicians wouldn’t want to give Americans $2000.
"Made many calls and had meetings at Trump International in Palm Beach, Florida," Trump said after a round of golf
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a rare moment of agreement with the president, tweeted , "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 Republicans blocked Democrats' attempt to raise the direct payment from $600 to $2000 by unanimous consent on Thursday.. Now, the fate of the direct payments, along with the rest of the package, remains uncertain until at least next week when Congress is back in session.
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In addition to wanting to increase the direct payments, Trump called on Congress to "get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill," in his Tuesday video.
In that same video shared on Twitter, Trump not only suggested he wouldn’t sign the bipartisan stimulus package, but that he might veto the $1.4 trillion spending bill attached to the relief bill if the direct payments aren’t increased.
Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been trying to salvage the year-end legislation to try to prevent a shutdown.
Democrats will call House lawmakers back to Washington for a vote Monday on Trump’s $2,000 proposal, though it would probably die in the Republican-controlled Senate. They are also considering a vote Monday on a stop-gap measure at least to avert a federal shutdown and keep the government running until Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20.
Contributing: Jessica Menton, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
Via PakapNews