- Trump in a tweet on Saturday forced Congress to pass another stimulus bill.
- “Congress must now pass the Covid Relief Bill. Democrats must support it.” Wrote on Twitter. “Make it big and focused. Done!”
- His comments are unlikely to break the deadlock on Capitol Hill between Democrats and Republicans, who strongly disagree on the cost of the second stimulus package.
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President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass a coronavirus relief bill on Saturday in his first provocative remarks since losing Biden’s election.
“Congress should now pass the Covid Relief Bill,” he said. “Democrats need support. Make it big and focused. Done!”
Donald J. Trump (@RealDonaldTrump) November 14, 2020
Trump’s remarks on the issue are the first since Biden won the presidential election. Prior to November 3, the President called for a second stimulus package in a row. At some point, Trump suggested that Democrats could support a plan larger than $ 2.4 trillion at a higher cost.
The White House was negotiating with Democrats on a relief plan but negotiations fell apart before the election. They have not resumed, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is now leading a second provocative bill among Republicans while the White House retreats.
The road to a stimulus package has been fraught with obstacles over the past few months and Trump’s remarks are unlikely to break the deadlock on Capitol Hill, although daily coronavirus cases and hospital admissions have reached new highs in recent days. Both sides are pushing for the diversification of priorities, especially given the cost of the second rescue plan.
G.O.P. Un is pushing for the same thin relief package as the unveiling of a 500 500 billion in September and October, which Democrats have blocked both times. It included small business aid funds and public health funds, but excluded stimulus checks and funding for cities.
McConnell has argued that the improved economy does not need a significant level of assistance, citing declining unemployment rates. “I don’t think the current situation demands a multitrillion-dollar package,” the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday.
It looks like no other relief package will be passed until Biden takes office in January. Democratic congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are in contact with the president-elect.
Democrats have called for a larger aid plan that includes new federal unemployment benefits, a second round of stimulus checks of 1, 200,200, aid to state and local governments, as well as other health-related funds.
“One of the immediate needs to work is that people need relief right now – right now: small businesses, people who can’t afford to pay their mortgage, unemployment insurance, are going to be evicted from their homes,” Biden said. A press conference on Tuesday.
Many economists and Federal Reserve officials are wondering if Congress will pass a new relief bill as recovery recovery shows signs of slowing. With an increase in cases of the virus, some states are bringing in new restrictions to prevent the spread of the pathogen and are ordering commercial shutdowns.
“We have clearly seen a major outbreak of the disease here in the United States,” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Thursday. “We’ve got new cases at record levels, we’ve seen a number of states start imposing limited activity restrictions, and people may lose confidence that it’s safe to go out.”
