A $2000 STIMULUS may be coming after the House of Representatives just passed the measure and have sent the bill up to the Republican-led Senate, which has argued against such direct aid to Americans.
The vote, which would be an increase from the original $600 offered stimulus check, came barely a day after President Trump signed the original $908 billion stimulus package into law and avoided a government shutdown.
It also came a week after Trump called the bill a “disgrace” and threatened to use his veto power until Congress came forward with a suitable stimulus check for the American people.
The president claims he opposed the original bill for not providing enough direct aid to Americans, despite Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin helping negotiate the bill to include many of the White House’s budget priorities.
The House passed the direct aid payments in a quick procedure that requires two-thirds majority support.
Trump signed the $2.3 trillion COVID-19 relief and government funding bill after refusing to accept the deal for days, a development which the Democrat House Speaker Pelosi called “welcome news.”
“This relief legislation is a down payment on what is needed to crush the virus, put money in the pockets of the American people and honor our heroes – our health care workers, first responders, transit and sanitation workers and teachers,” Pelosi said in a statement.
The House Speaker also called on Republicans to back the president’s call to increase the individual stimulus checks to $2,000 per person. Democrats are set to raise the increase in the House again today after Republican representatives blocked a similar attempt last week.
Pelosi said: “We need to ensure robust support for state and local government to distribute and administer a vaccine, keep workers employed and prevent devastating service cuts – and we must do so as soon as possible.”
Trump has vocally supported the $2,000 checks, with which “a family of four would receive $5,200.”
But the bill signed by Trump only authorizes direct checks of $600 for people earning up to $75,000 per year. The amount decreases for higher earners and people who make over $95,000 get nothing.
There’s an additional $600 per child stimulus payment.
The bill also creates a new $300 weekly unemployment supplement and replenishes a forgivable loan program for small businesses.
It includes protections against evictions and money for COVID-19 vaccine distribution and cash-strapped transit systems. But the legislative package also includes measures unrelated to the pandemic, such as creating new criminal penalties including prison time for violating copyright laws with online streaming.
The idea of giving out greater checks is supported by the Democrat-controlled House, but is likely to be ignored by the Republican-led Senate, where the spending is opposed.
Trump’s decision to sign the the combination bill – after deeming the legislation a “disgrace” and calling on Congress to increase relief payments to $2,000 and scale-back spending – averts a shutdown tomorrow night.
In a statement Sunday night, the president said he would ask for millions in dollars of spending to be removed from the bill.
“I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed,” Trump said.
The government was funded through 11:59 pm Monday but that has now been extended to September 30, 2021.
While the president insisted he would send Congress “a redlined version” with items to be removed under the rescission process, those are merely suggestions to Congress, The NY Post reports.
The bill, as signed, would not necessarily be changed.
Still, both sides of the aisle welcomed Trump’s signing of the bill on Sunday night.
“The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do an enormous amount of good for struggling Kentuckians and Americans across the country who need help now,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “I thank the President for signing this relief into law.”
The President railed against the combination package last week – even though the bipartisan final plan was negotiated by the top four Congressional leaders and his own point man Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
The plan passed with 359 votes in the House and 92 votes in the Senate.
Had the President not signed the package, Washington was barreling toward a government shutdown, Fox News reports.
More to follow…
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