Stimulus Checks: Donald Trump Wants Congress to up Payments to $2,000

On Monday, both the House and the Senate passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill. The next step [...]

By Stephanie Downs

On Monday, both the House and the Senate passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill. The next step in the legislative process would be for President Donald Trump to sign the bill into law. However, on Tuesday, Trump released a video in which he criticized many aspects of the proposal, including the amount that it allocates for stimulus checks.

Under the most recent COVID-19 relief bill, eligible Americans would receive a $600 check. Couples who file a joint tax return would receive $1,200. Additionally, individuals would receive an extra $600 per child that they claim as a dependent. Like many others, Trump has criticized this amount as not being enough to get Americans through the ongoing coronavirus crisis. He said in a video that was posted to his Twitter account, "I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple."

Elsewhere in the video, Trump shared his thoughts on other aspects of the bill. In particular, he criticized the amount of funding that is headed overseas, as CNBC noted. The foreign aid provisions that he mentioned are part of a $1.4 trillion spending measure to help keep the government funded. This measure was paired with the COVID-19 relief bill. He also said his administration might be "the next administration," even though he lost to President-elect Joe Biden in the presidential election.

Trump was widely expected to sign this new COVID-19 relief bill into law shortly after it passed in both the House and the Senate. If the president does not sign this legislation, the government will shut down on Monday. In response to Trump's video, many Democrats specifically shared their support for his call for $2,000 checks for eligible Americans. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi even tweeted, "Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let's do it!" NBC News reported that Democrats would seek to see if they can pass a measure for direct $2,000 payments by unanimous consent on Thursday, Christmas Eve. CNBC noted that the House would be in a pro forma session come Thursday, meaning that it will only take one lawmaker to prevent this measure's passage.

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