WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump signed a $ 900 billion pandemic relief package Sunday night, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal that will bring in long-sought cash for businesses and individuals and a federal shutdown. government.
The massive bill includes $ 1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September and includes other priorities at the end of the session, such as money for starving cash transit systems and an increase in the benefits of food stamps.
The signing, at his private Florida club, came after a day of vocal criticism from Republicans and Democrats over his objections to the bipartisan agreement, which the House and Senate bypassed by far with lawmakers who believed they had Trump’s support. His demands for the eleventh hour, including a push for greater emergency checks and reduced spending, had blinded members of both parties. His subsequent drag moves resulted in unemployment benefits for millions struggling to make ends meet and threatened government shutdown amid a pandemic.
Signing the bill will prevent another crisis of Trump’s own creation and end a stalemate with his own party during the final days of his administration.
It was unclear what Trump had accomplished with his delay, other than empowering the Democrats to push for the higher controls his party opposes. In a statement, Trump reiterated his frustrations with the COVID-19 bill for providing only $ 600 checks to most Americans instead of the $ 2,000 his fellow Republicans rejected. He also complained about what he considered to be unnecessary expenditures by the government.
“I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message making it clear to Congress that wasteful items must be removed,” Trump said in the statement.
While the president insisted on sending Congress “a redefined version” of items to be removed during the dissolution process, these are merely suggestions to Congress. The bill, as signed, does not necessarily need to be amended.
Lawmakers now have breathing room to continue to debate whether the emergency checks should be as great as the president has demanded. The Democrat-led house supports the larger controls and will vote on the matter Monday, but this is expected to be ignored by the Republican-occupied Senate, where spending is facing opposition. For now, the administration cannot begin sending the $ 600 payments.
Republicans and Democrats quickly welcomed Trump’s decision to sign the bill into law.
“The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do a tremendous amount of good for the struggling Kentuckians and Americans across the country who now need help,” said Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “I thank the president for signing this relief into law.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Called the signing “welcome news to the fourteen million Americans who just lost the lifeblood of unemployment benefits over Christmas weekend, and to the millions of others struggling to survive this historic pandemic. economic crisis. “
But others criticized Trump’s delay in enacting the bill. In a tweet, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. Trump believes that “playing Russian roulette with American lives. A familiar and comfortable place for him.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said he would offer Trump’s proposal for $ 2,000 checks for a Senate vote, bringing Republicans to the scene.
“The House will accept a bill to give Americans $ 2000 checks. Then I will pass it on to the Senate, ”Schumer tweeted. ‘No democracy will object. Will Senate Republicans? “
Democrats promise more aid will come as soon as President-elect Joe Biden takes office, but Republicans are signaling a wait-and-see attitude.
In the face of growing economic hardship, the spread of disease and an impending shutdown, lawmakers on Sunday urged Trump to sign the legislation immediately and then have Congress succeed with additional assistance. Aside from unemployment benefits and family aid payments, money was at stake for the distribution of vaccines, businesses and more. Protection against evictions was also at stake.
“What the president is doing right now is unbelievably cruel,” said Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. “So many people are in pain. … It’s really insane and this president must finally … do the right thing for the American people and stop worrying about his ego. “
Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey said he understood Trump “wants to be remembered for calling for big checks, but the danger is he will be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior if he lets it go.”
Toomey added, “So I think it’s best, as I said, sign this and then advocate for later legislation.”
The same point was echoed by the Maryland administration, Larry Hogan, a Republican who criticized Trump’s pandemic response and his attempts to reverse the election results. “I just gave up trying to guess what he was going to do next,” he said.
Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger from Illinois said too much is at stake for Trump to “play this old switcheroo game.”
“I don’t get it,” he said. “I don’t understand what is being done, why, unless it’s just to create chaos and show power and be upset because you lost the election.”
Washington had been reeling since Trump hit the deal. Fingers pointed to government officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, as lawmakers tried to understand if they were being misled about Trump’s position.
“To be abandoned now, after the president’s own person has negotiated something that the president doesn’t want, it’s just … it’s surprising,” Kinzinger said.
Kinzinger spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union” and Hogan and Sanders on ABC’s “This Week.”
___
Mascaro and Taylor reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Alexandra Olson in New York contributed to this report.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.