President Donald Trump may have another month in the White House. Regardless, Trump still appears to be on a mission from his 2016 campaign: Drain the swamp. That mantra could potentially threaten his own political party, just as he will likely leave the White House.
Trump on Tuesday threatened to veto a congressional bill that would send $ 600 into Americans’ pockets for COVID assistance. Trump wants more money for American families, and he’s getting support from Democrats for that sentiment.
If the president gets his way, it could lead to headaches and black eyes for his old supporters, including those who need him most now.
The top Republican in the Senate and two Republican senators in Georgia in reelection rounds have relied on smaller payments to Americans during the struggle for the stimulus bill. Now the party leader has said otherwise.
In short, Congress passed a bill that would put $ 600 in Americans’ pockets for COVID assistance, and $ 1,200 for couples with an additional $ 600 for each child. However, the bill is full of massive amounts of money unrelated to COVID. Trump said on Tuesday night that the money was not enough for US citizens, citing several dollar amounts (some in the billions of dollars) to other countries.
Trump asked Congress to change the stimulus bill to send $ 2,000 to every “American” or $ 4,000 to every couple. The president specifically rebuked the original bill that “illegal aliens” would receive $ 1,800 – and other parts of the bill, such as millions of dollars for places like the Kennedy Center that are currently closed to the public.
Photo by Erin Schaff-Pool / Getty Images
Democratic leaders have praised the president’s discontent, and it has captivated Republican leaders like Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). It could also hamper the runoff from the Georgia Senate, as it looks to some that the leader of their party has turned against them.
Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, the incumbent government leaders of the Republican Senate in Georgia, who both participate in runoff races, each voted “yes” to the recent stimulus bill. This will prompt them to respond to voters and voters for their response to Trump’s new suggestion.
After Trump sent his video via Twitter Tuesday, representatives for Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib slammed into Twitterverse, saying they had legislation “ready to go” almost immediately.
“Let’s do it,” tweeted Ocasio-Cortez. “@RashidaTlaib and I have already co-authored the $ 2000 COVID check amendment so it’s ready to go.”
“Glad to see the president’s willingness to support our legislation,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We can pass $ 2k checks this week if the Senate GOP agrees to resign.”
Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, said Democrats were “taking months” to get $ 2,000 worth of Americans, but to no avail.
“We’ve been trying to get $ 2,000 checks for months, but Republicans blocked it,” he tweeted.
“Trump needs to sign the bill to help people and keep the government open, and we’re happy to be able to give more help that Americans need,” Schumer said. “Maybe Trump can finally make himself useful and get the Republicans not to block it again.”