Trump Notes He May Not Sign US Covid-19 Relief And Demands Changes

President Donald Trump injected confusion into the prospects for Covid-19 relief on Tuesday night (Wednesday NZT), demanding changes to bipartisan legislation passed by Congress less than 24 hours earlier.

In a surprise video ad posted on his Twitter account, Trump called the bill a “disgrace” and said it was full of “wasteful and unnecessary” elements.

He demanded that lawmakers increase the stimulus checks that most Americans must pay from the “ridiculously low” amount of $ 600 to $ 2,000 (NZ $ 850 to $ 2,840) – or $ 4,000 (NZ $ 5,680) for a couple .

“I am asking Congress to amend this bill,” Trump said.

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“Send me a proper invoice or else the next administration will have to deliver a Covid aid package. And maybe that administration is me, and we will. “

Monday’s attack on the legislation, which included $ 900 billion (NZ $ 1277 billion) in relief, along with $ 1.4 trillion (NZ $ 1.99 trillion) in government funding through next September, marked a sudden change after the administration will back frenzied negotiations between congressional leaders to get a deal after months of deadlock.

If the president does not sign the legislation by December 28, government funding would expire after midnight on that day.

Stock futures fell after Trump’s video message, and futures on the S&P 500 index were down 0.5 percent at 10:29 a.m. in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had praised the package, tweeting that it would provide “fundamental economic relief for American workers, families and businesses.”

Trump himself tweeted on December 17: “Stimulus talks are looking great.”

Trump on Tuesday night did not specify whether he would veto the measure. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to Trump’s video message saying she appreciated his request for checks of $ 2,000 for most Americans.

Republicans repeatedly refused to say how much the president wanted for direct controls. At long last, the president accepted $ 2000 – Democrats are set to bring this into the room this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it! ”She tweeted.

The House suspended the session after passing the bill, with a return date of December 28. The Senate is scheduled to meet for regular business on December 29.

If Trump vetoes or refuses to sign the measure, he would suspend benefits from the previous Covid relief bill that expires at the end of the month, including a moratorium on evictions and extended unemployment insurance, all of which were addressed in the giant package approved. on Monday night.

Trump had previously said the stimulus bill had “taken forever” to materialize and blamed Democrats for “cruelly blocking” aid to improve his chances of winning the 2020 election.

Shortly after his tweet, one of his close allies in Congress, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, renewed his support for the measure.

“The # COVID19 package, while imperfect, will save jobs and lives. The sooner the bill is signed into law, the better, ”Graham tweeted.

Trump’s spiel about the package came after he took a hands-off approach to negotiations with Congress for months. He refused to engage directly with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, nor did he convene bipartisan leaders of Congress at White House meetings to reach an agreement.

Still, Trump had privately indicated during negotiations that he was dissatisfied with some of the provisions. The president had been working on a statement calling for $ 2,000 stimulus checks, but White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows opposed his release amid fragile talks, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Trump also sent mixed signals about the size of the package he wanted. At one point, she pulled her team out of conversations with Democrats and then demanded a bigger bill than Pelosi herself had favored.

Regarding direct payments, a member of his own party, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, personally blocked bipartisan attempts to pass checks for $ 1,200 instead of the $ 600 that ended up in the bill, citing concerns about the fiscal deficit.

Senior Senate Republican Party members in recent days touted that they kept the aid effort below $ 1 trillion, rather than the $ 2 trillion and more sought after by Democrats, only now to be undercut by a president. lame after the fact.

“It really is a shame,” Trump said of the bill passed Monday, saying not enough money was given to small businesses, especially restaurants, while the money went to help other countries, including Cambodia and Egypt.

However, foreign aid was included as part of the overall package of regular expense bills and is typically enacted every year.

In addition to the $ 600 checks, the relief package includes hundreds of billions of dollars for small businesses and supplemental unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs during the pandemic. It also includes money for schools, airlines, and vaccine distribution.

On the other hand, Trump also lashed out at Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the second Republican in that chamber. Thune said Monday that any attempt by a handful of House conservatives to challenge the Electoral College results by proclaiming Joe Biden the next president was “going down like a hunting dog.”

“RINO John Thune, ‘Mitch’s boy,’ should let it unfold,” Trump said Tuesday, using an abbreviation for Republicans in name only and referring to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“South Dakota doesn’t like weakness. It will be primacy in 2022, political career over !!! “

– Bloomberg