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By Jill Colvin, Lisa Mascaro and Andrew Taylor | Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida – President Donald Trump signed a $ 900 billion pandemic relief package on Sunday, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan agreement that will provide cash to businesses and individuals and it will prevent the shutdown of the federal government.
The massive bill includes $ 1.4 billion to fund government agencies through September and contains other priorities at the end of the session, such as money for cashless transit systems and an increase in food stamp benefits.
Trump announced the signing in a statement Sunday night that spoke of his frustrations with COVID-19 relief for including only $ 600 checks to most Americans instead of the $ 2,000 rejected by fellow Republicans. He also complained about what he considered unnecessary spending by the government in general. But Trump’s last-minute objections created confusion because lawmakers had thought he supported the bill, which had been negotiated for months with input from the White House.
“I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message making it clear to Congress that waste items must be removed,” Trump said in the statement.
Although the president insisted that he would send to Congress “a version marked in red” with elements that will be eliminated in the framework of the rescission process, those are mere suggestions to Congress. The bill, as signed, would not necessarily be changed.
Lawmakers now have breathing space to continue debating whether aid checks should be as large as the president has demanded. The Democratic-led House supports the bigger checks and is set to vote on the issue Monday, but it is expected to be ignored by the Republican-controlled Senate, where the spending faces opposition.
Republicans and Democrats were quick to welcome Trump’s decision to sign the bill into law.
“The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do a lot of good for Kentuckians and struggling Americans across the country who need help now,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “I thank the president for making this relief law.”
Democrats promise more help once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, but Republicans are signaling a wait-and-see approach.
Faced with mounting economic difficulties, the spread of disease and an impending shutdown, lawmakers on Sunday urged Trump to sign the legislation immediately and then have Congress follow up with additional help. In addition to unemployment benefits and family support payments, money is at stake for vaccine distribution, businesses, cash-strapped public transportation systems, and more. Protections against evictions were also at stake.
“What the president is doing right now is incredibly cruel,” said Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. “Many people are suffering. … It’s really insane and this president finally has to … do the right thing for the American people and stop worrying about his ego. “
Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he understood that Trump “wants to be remembered for defending big checks, but the danger is that he will be remembered for chaos, misery and erratic behavior if he allows this to expire.”
Toomey added: “So I think the best thing to do, as I said, is to sign this and then defend the subsequent legislation.”
The same point was shared by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican who criticized Trump’s response to the pandemic and his efforts to undo the election results. “I just stopped guessing what to do next,” he said.
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said the stakes are too high for Trump to “play this old game of change.”
“I don’t get the point,” he said. “I don’t understand what is being done, why, unless it’s just to create chaos and show power and be upset that you lost the election.”
Washington had been reeling since Trump again accepted the deal. Fingers pointed at administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, as lawmakers tried to understand whether they were misled about Trump’s position.
“Now, to flip, after the president himself negotiated something that the president doesn’t want, it’s just … it’s amazing,” Kinzinger said.
Kinzinger spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union” and Hogan and Sanders spoke on ABC’s “This Week.”
Associated Press writer Alexandra Olson in New York contributed to this report.
