Lawmakers Press Donald Trump on Relief Bill as Unemployment Benefits Expire

Even though both the House and the Senate passed COVID-19 relief legislation, President Donald Trump has still not signed the bill into law. Trump previously shared his disapproval with the relief proposal, particularly saying that he did not believe that the amount allocated for stimulus checks ($600 per check per eligible individual) was enough. According to the Associated Press, lawmakers on Sunday urged the president to sign the proposal into law immediately, as the government will shut down on Tuesday if he does not do so (the COVID-19 relief bill was packaged alongside a spending measure to help keep the government-funded).

Lawmakers specifically urged Trump to sign the piece of legislation immediately to avoid a government shutdown. They said that Congress could then follow up with additional aid as needed. This new COVID-19 relief package includes stimulus payments, unemployment benefits, money for vaccine distribution, protections against evictions, and funding for small businesses. The president is currently spending the holidays in Florida. On Sunday evening, he tweeted out that there was “good news” regarding the COVID-19 relief bill and that more information would follow. However, it’s still unclear how this situation will play out in Congress as of right now.

“What the president is doing right now is unbelievably cruel,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said about Trump’s reluctance in signing the COVID-19 relief proposal into law. “So many people are hurting. … It is really insane, and this president has got to finally … do the right thing for the American people and stop worrying about his ego.”

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey said that he understands that Trump “wants to be remembered for advocating for big checks, but the danger is he’ll be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior if he allows this to expire.” Toomey added, “So I think the best thing to do, as I said, sign this and then make the case for subsequent legislation.”

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, also said that there is too much at stake for the president to “play this old switcheroo game.” Kinzinger continued, “I don’t get the point. I don’t understand what’s being done, why unless it’s just to create chaos and show power and be upset because you lost the election.”

Democrats have said that they would call lawmakers back to Washington on Monday for a vote on Trump’s proposal to send out $2,000 stimulus checks instead of the $600 ones that were already approved by Congress. However, the measure will likely not pass in the Republican-controlled Senate, just as it did not garner approval amongst Republicans in the House during their Christmas Eve session about the matter.