Congress Briefly Reconvening Under Pressure From Trump, Biden to Pass a Stimulus Relief Bill

Congress will briefly be reconvening, as it is under pressure from Donald Trump and Joe Biden to pass a stimulus relief bill. According to Business Insider, congressional leaders will begin a new, short session on Monday, which will likely end prior to Christmas. During this time, it is expected that a new stimulus package will be discussed, as well as motions to avoid a government shutdown.

Notably, in a very rare show of agreement, both the outgoing and incoming presidents have called on Congress to pass a stimulus bill. On Nov. 14, Trump tweeted, “Congress must now do a Covid Relief Bill. Needs Democrats support.” He added, “Make it big and focused. Get it done!” Just two days later, Biden issued his own call to action, via Twitter as well. “Right now, Congress should come together and pass a COVID relief package like the Heroes Act that the House passed six months ago,” he wrote in the Nov. 16 post.

Biden and Trump are not the only political leaders challenging Congress to work on getting a new stimulus deal. In a tweet, Sen. Tim Kaine wrote, “The Senate is back in session today—and we absolutely must pass meaningful COVID relief before we recess for the holidays. Families are in desperate need, and it is Congress’s duty to help them.” Kaine previously served as Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 election.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan also issued a statement, urging Congress to take action on a new stimulus plan. “Every day that Congress has failed to deliver a new stimulus package, American families have suffered and small businesses have permanently closed their doors,” he wrote in a tweet. “As lawmakers return to Washington, this critical relief must be their most urgent priority — no more excuses.”

Hogan, an outspoken Republican, has also had some very harsh words for Trump, whom he has criticized for not conceding the 2020 presidential election to Biden, the president-elect. “I have confidence that on January 20th, the president-elect is going to be sworn in,” Hogan said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union. “But I’m not sure I could say that I’m confident that the president’s going to do the right thing.”

“We used to go supervise elections around the world. And we were the most respected country with respect to elections and now we’re beginning to look like we’re a Banana Republic,” he went on to say. “It’s time for them to stop the nonsense. It just gets more bizarre every single day.”