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WASHINGTON – US President-elect Joe Biden warned Saturday of “devastating consequences” if President Donald Trump continues to delay the signing of a COVID-19 economic relief bill passed by Congress.
Biden spoke out as millions of Americans saw their unemployment benefits expire after Trump questioned a long-awaited pandemic aid package, demanding more than triple the direct payments of $ 600 to American taxpayers from lawmakers.
“This abdication of responsibility has devastating consequences. Today, about 10 million Americans will lose their unemployment insurance benefits, “Biden said in a statement.
The stimulus measure is wrapped up with a $ 1.4 trillion funding bill, without which the government will be forced to close at midnight on Monday.
“In just a few days, government funding will expire, putting vital services and paychecks for military personnel at risk,” added Biden.
“In less than a week, a moratorium on evictions expires, putting millions at risk of being forced to leave their homes during the holidays.”
In a video Tuesday night, Trump, who is leaving office in less than a month, called the $ 900 million bill “a disgrace,” even though it passed Monday with a large bipartisan majority. after months of negotiations.
The legislation was designed to launch a lifeline to businesses and individuals struggling to stay afloat.
But in a prerecorded statement made at the White House, Trump said he would refuse to accept the bill without changes that increase taxpayer checks to $ 2,000.
‘Dark winter’
“I just want our great people to get $ 2000, instead of the measly $ 600 that is now on the bill,” Trump reiterated Saturday on Twitter.
The measure puts the Republican president at odds with his party’s Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who have ruled out any larger stimulus measure.
Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic effort to increase payments that would go to all taxpayers who earn up to $ 75,000 a year, with smaller amounts for those who earn up to $ 99,000.
“The delay means that more small businesses will not survive this dark winter because they lack access to the lifeline they need, and Americans face further delays in obtaining the direct payments they deserve as quickly as possible to help deal with the economic devastation. caused by COVID-19, ”added Biden.
It is almost unprecedented for a president to veto a bill that received such overwhelming bipartisan support.
But his veto Wednesday of a defense funding bill, the NDAA, ensures that lawmakers will return to Washington after Christmas to overturn the action.
And while Congress would almost certainly override a presidential veto on the funding package, Trump could achieve a “pocket veto” simply by refusing to sign the bill until the current congressional term ends and the new session is installed on March 3. from January.
COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed and the death toll in the United States stands at more than 330,000. The economic recovery has faltered despite the rollout of vaccines that offer hope that the outbreak will end in 2021.
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