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House Republicans rejected a Democratic offer on Thursday (local time) to approve US President Donald Trump’s impromptu end-of-session demand for direct payments of $ 2,000 to most Americans, while ponders the possibility of signing a Covid-19 aid bill that was long overdue.
The made-for-television shock came when the Democratic-controlled chamber met for a pro forma session that had been scheduled before Trump signed the massive year-end legislative package, which brings together a government spending of $ 1, 4 trillion with the hotly contested Covid-19 package and dozens of unrelated but bipartisan bills.
Instead, Thursday’s 12-minute session of the House of Representatives turned into lame theater in response to Trump’s veto musings on the package, which was negotiated by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on behalf of Trump. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, sought unanimous approval from all members of the House to pass the major controls, but Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who was not present at the chamber almost empty, denied approval.
If Trump followed through on his implied veto threat, delivered via video clip on Tuesday, the administration would likely experience a brief partial government shutdown beginning on December 29. It would also delay the delivery of direct payments of US $ 600 that the government bill contains and other aid for the unemployed and people facing eviction.
The push for larger payments has created a rare common cause between Trump and some of the more liberal members of Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said they fought for the highest stipends during protracted negotiations only to come to terms with the lowest number when Republicans refused. Democrats plan to hold a roll call vote on the $ 2,000 check proposal Monday when House members return to Washington.
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Senate Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have opposed the larger checks of $ 2,000 as too costly and misdirected.
The way forward, including efforts to avoid a shutdown or perhaps even approve a final extension on soon-to-expire unemployment checks, was unclear. Any closing would probably be brief, but nothing is certain.
“We are not going to let the government shut down, nor are we going to defraud the American people,” Hoyer said. “There are continuous discussions between the speaker, the secretary of the Treasury and the administration.”
Evan Vucci / AP
US President Donald Trump wants Americans to receive $ 2,000 stimulus checks.
The outlook looks dire for Republicans, who praised the contested Covid-19 aid package, which was passed Monday with a large vote after the White House assured Republican leaders that Trump supported the bill. It has also created more Trump-related headaches for Georgia Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who are fighting for their political lives and for continued control of the Senate by the Republican Party in a pair of June 5 runoff elections. January in Georgia.
“The best way out of this is for the president to sign the bill,” Republican Senator Roy Blunt said Thursday. “And I still hope that’s what he decides.”
But instead of winning the comprehensive aid package, one of the largest in history, Trump is attacking Republican leaders for the presidential election, for recognizing Joe Biden as president-elect and rejecting his campaign to dispute the results. of the Electoral College when they are counted in Congress on January 6.
“It is Christmas Eve, but it is not a silent night. Not everything is calm. For many, nothing is brilliant. And for many, they don’t sleep soundly, ”said Representative Debbie Dingell. “I did a town hall last night that had people crying, people terrified of what is going to happen.”
Andrew Harnik / AP
Trump is in his last days in the White House.
The president’s push to increase direct payments for most Americans from $ 600 to $ 2,000 for individuals and $ 4,000 for couples divides the party with a politically painful test of loyalty.
Republican lawmakers traditionally resist big spending, and many never fully embraced Trump’s populist approach. Their political DNA tells them to oppose a more expensive aid package. But now they are being asked to support the president.
In a conference call Wednesday, Republican House lawmakers complained that Trump threw them under the bus, according to a Republican on the private call, and granted them anonymity to discuss it. Most had voted for the package and urged leaders to take to cable news shows to explain its benefits, the person said.
Democrats were taking advantage of Republican disorder to push for a priority. Jon Ossoff, Perdue’s Democratic opponent, simply tweeted Tuesday night: “$ 2000 checks now.”
Evan Vucci / AP
Trump released a video on Tuesday criticizing Covid’s proposed relief.
The aid bill that Trump criticizes would establish a temporary supplemental unemployment benefit of $ 300 per week, along with a new round of subsidies for the worst-hit businesses, restaurants, and theaters and money for schools, healthcare providers and tenants who face eviction.
Despite Mnuchin representing the White House in the negotiations, Trump attacked the bipartisan effort in a video he tweeted Tuesday night, suggesting he may not sign the legislation.
After protesting against a number of provisions in the broader government funding package, including the pillars of foreign aid that are included each year, Trump called the bill a “disgraceful.”
Trump did not specifically commit to using his veto power, and there may be enough support in Congress to override it if he does. But the consequences would be dire if Trump alters the legislation. It would mean there would be no federal aid for struggling Americans and small businesses, and there would be no additional resources to help with vaccine distribution. To top it off, because lawmakers linked the pandemic relief bill to a blanket funding measure, the government would close on December 29.
Congress was still preparing the final text of the more than 5,000-page bill and it was not expected to be sent to the White House for Trump’s signature before Thursday or Friday, an aide said.
That complicates the calendar ahead of us. If Trump vetoes the package, or allows it to expire with a “pocket veto” at the end of the year, Americans will be left without massive amounts of Covid aid.
Evan Vucci / AP
If Trump vetoes the proposed bill, it could lead to the government shutdown, just days before two crucial Senate runoff elections.
A resolution could be forced on Monday. That’s when a provisional funding bill that Congress passed to keep the government funded while the documentation was compiled expires, risking a federal shutdown.
The House is already scheduled to return on Monday, and the Senate on Tuesday, to vote to override Trump’s veto on the defense bill that must pass. Democrats announced they will force a roll call vote to approve Trump’s $ 2,000 check proposal, as well as a temporary government funding measure to avoid a shutdown, Hoyer said Thursday.
The Senate approved the huge aid package by 92-6 votes after the House approved it by 359-53. Those vote totals would be enough to override a veto should Trump decide to take that step.
