President Trump reiterated his call to Congress to approve $ 2,000 coronavirus stimulus checks in a Christmas Day tweetand announced that he has held meetings over the holidays to negotiate a deal with lawmakers.
“A lot of calls and meetings at Trump International in Palm Beach, Florida. Why wouldn’t politicians want to give people $ 2000 instead of just $ 600? It wasn’t their fault, it was China. Give our people the money! Trump wrote Friday afternoon.
The president, who is spending the vacation at his Mar-a-Lago resort, declined to sign a $ 2.3 trillion COVID-19 emergency relief and government funding bill before leaving Washington on Wednesday.
After months of inactivity, Congress approved a $ 900 billion aid package, but Trump announced at the eleventh hour that he was blocking it, calling it a “disgrace.”
He called on Congress to change the legislation and increase stimulus controls from $ 600 to $ 2,000, while also reducing foreign aid and other fillings in the regular credit bill.
The House will meet Monday to vote on stand-alone legislation for $ 2,000 incentive vouchers.
But not all Republicans agree with the president’s demands.
Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), One of the top Republicans in the Senate, told reporters on Thursday that it would be “a mistake” not to sign the coronavirus control bill.
He predicted that the $ 2,000 checks – higher than the $ 1,200 payments passed at the height of the March pandemic – would not pass the GOP-controlled Senate.
“It took us a long time to get to where we are today. I think reopening that account would be a mistake, ”he said.
“The best way out is for the president to sign the bill, and I still hope he decides that.”
On Thursday, members of the “Squad” introduced their own measure to provide $ 2,000 “survival checks” to struggling American families.
“This holiday season, families are forced to make incredibly difficult decisions, such as whether to keep their lights on or run errands,” Congressman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) Said in a statement.
“They are suffering through no fault of their own. We must protect the public health and economic well-being of those we serve. Providing $ 2,000 survival checks would give those now struggling a lifeline as we continue to fight to beat COVID-19. “