Trump threatens to not sign COVID-19 bill, wants bigger stimulus checks

[webfact]

Trump threatens to not sign COVID-19 bill, wants bigger stimulus checks

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump departs on travel to West Point, New York from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 12, 2020. REUTERS/Cheriss May

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to not sign an $892 billion coronavirus relief bill that includes desperately needed money for individual Americans, saying it should be amended to increase the amount in the stimulus checks.

 

U.S. government operations are being funded on a temporary basis through Dec. 28, waiting for the $1.4 trillion in federal spending for fiscal 2021 that is also part of the bill.

 

Failure to either pass another stopgap bill or override a possible Trump veto of the legislation could result in a partial government shutdown. The threat by the outgoing Republican president, who has less than a month left in office, throws into turmoil a bipartisan effort in Congress to provide help for people whose lives have been upended by the pandemic.

 

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he wants Congress to amend the coronavirus relief bill to raise the amount of stimulus checks and eliminate wasteful spending, among other issues.

 

"The bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated," Trump said in a video posted on Twitter. "It really is a disgrace."

 

The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate both passed the legislation overwhelmingly on Monday night.

 

Trump said he wants Congress to increase the amount in the stimulus checks to $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for couples, instead of the "ridiculously low" $600 for individuals that is in the bill.

 

Trump also complained about money provided for foreign countries, the Smithsonian Institution and fish breeding, among other spending that is in the part of the legislation to fund the U.S. government.

 

"I'm also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package. And maybe that administration will be me," said Trump, who has continued to push baseless claims that he won re-election in November.

 

Trump, who will leave office on Jan. 20 when President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in, did not use the word "veto" in his statement.

 

The 92-6 vote in the Senate and the 359-53 vote in the House both are well over the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto, though some Republicans might balk at overriding a veto if Trump used that power.

 

A bill can be amended if congressional leadership wants to do so. If they don't, Trump's choices are to sign the bill into law, veto it, or do nothing and let it become law.

 

If the bill is amended, doing so by Dec. 28 could be very difficult. It took months for the parties to agree to the thousands of elements in not only the coronavirus aid part, but the $1.4 trillion agreement to fund much of the U.S. government.

 

Even if leadership wants to amend the bill, it still would have to be voted upon by the full House and Senate. Also, many Republicans might balk at the $2,000 direct payments because that would boost the cost of the bill to well over $1 trillion.

 

Two years ago, a record-long, 35-day government shutdown was sparked when Congress sent Trump a government spending bill it thought he would support, only to see him reject it over what he said was insufficient funding for building his vaunted U.S.-Mexico border wall.

 

Trump also said a two-year tax break for corporate meal expenses was "not enough" to help struggling restaurants.

 

The White House did not signal any objections to the legislation before it passed and gave every expectation that Trump would sign it. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was involved in the negotiations over the bill.

 

White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's intentions.

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a tweet that Republicans would not say during negotiations what amount Trump wanted the stimulus checks to be. She said Democrats are ready to bring his proposal for $2,000 checks to the House floor for a vote this week. She did not address Trump's other concerns.

 

Trump's complaints came just as the 5,500-page bill was being processed for sending to the White House for signing by the president, who is scheduled to leave on Wednesday afternoon to spend the rest of the year at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

 

Trump's video was taped in private at the White House, without reporters present, continuing a recent boycott of appearing at public events where he might be exposed to questions about his failed attempt to challenge the results of the Nov. 3 election.

 

(Reporting by Eric Beech and Steve Holland; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-23

 

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[4reaL]

More US dollars printed in good faith from stardust and given out in the tune of millions as political favors to the well connected.

 

 

[Bluespunk]

18 minutes ago, webfact said:

The bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated," Trump said in a video posted on Twitter. "It really is a disgrace."

You sad little man, I think we can all see who the disgrace is. 
 

You lost, get over it and pack your bags. 

[Bluespunk]

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

I'm also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package. And maybe that administration will be me,

Regarding that final pathetic sentence.
 

It won’t, you lost on every level in the election. 
 

You are no longer needed, you have been defeated. 
 

Pack you bags. 
 

Get out and to quote the Bard “get thee to a nunnery”

 

 

Or a golf course in your case. 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Bluespunk

[Tie Dye Samurai]

Just sign the bill, shut the hell up and get the "F" out...The adults will take over next month.

Edited December 23, 2020 by onthedarkside
off topic trolling comment removed

[TopDeadSenter]

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

Trump said he wants Congress to increase the amount in the stimulus checks to $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for couples, instead of the "ridiculously low" $600 for individuals that is in the bill.

 

Trump also complained about money provided for foreign countries, the Smithsonian Institution and fish breeding, among other spending that is in the part of the legislation to fund the U.S. government.

Sounds like good old fashioned common sense. Give the American public more, and give less to the likes of Pakistan gender programs(whatever they even are, or why they are given $10 million in an American covid stimulus bill). I am seeing every poster so far hating this proposal by Trump, I ask is it possible for people to refuse the $2,000 cheques if they hate Trump? It should be an option.

Edited December 23, 2020 by TopDeadSenter
syntax error

[Tie Dye Samurai]

12 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Sounds like good old fashioned common sense. Give the American public more, and give less to the likes of Pakistan gender programs(whatever they even are, or why they are given $10 million in an American covid stimulus bill). I am seeing every poster so far hating this proposal by Trump, I ask is it possible for people to refuse the $2,000 cheques if they hate Trump? It should be an option.

Because people need money NOW!!!! Not when congress goes back and haggles some more because Donald Trump wants his signature on bigger checks. They can negotiate for more money later but THE AMERICAN PEOPLE need money NOW!!!!!!

[grumbleweed]

besides, he's too busy with his laughable attempt at a coup. Where's Lenin when you need him?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

If memory serves, the Democrats in the House of Reps TWICE passed CV relief bills earlier in the year that included the original larger $1200 per person relief payments -- and Trump and the Republicans universally opposed them both!  So it's more than a bit hypocritical now for Trump to come back at the last minute and demand $2000.

 

October

https://www.rollcall.com/2020/10/01/house-passes-2-2-trillion-coronavirus-relief-bill-amid-faltering-talks/

 

May

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-05-16/house-passes-3-trillion-coronavirus-stimulus-package

 

 

 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

57 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Sounds like good old fashioned common sense. Give the American public more, and give less to the likes of Pakistan gender programs(whatever they even are, or why they are given $10 million in an American covid stimulus bill). I am seeing every poster so far hating this proposal by Trump, I ask is it possible for people to refuse the $2,000 cheques if they hate Trump? It should be an option.

 

He sits out the negotiations that got the $600 and then suddenly comes up with this. If he is such a great negotiator, approve the $600, then he can weave his negotiating magic, to get the other $1400. 

I found it interesting that on the day Trump pardoned murderers, corrupt officials, and those to whom he may benefit to keep there mouth shut, Fox News was talking on this topic. I think they got the memo from above to avoid too much discussion on the pardons.  Since when does Fox News believe in socialism of this type.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Fat is a type of crazy

[John Drake]

28 minutes ago, Tie Dye Samurai said:

Because people need money NOW!!!! Not when congress goes back and haggles some more because Donald Trump wants his signature on bigger checks. They can negotiate for more money later but THE AMERICAN PEOPLE need money NOW!!!!!!

 

Would rather wait for $2000 than get peanuts, which is what $600 will buy you. Whatever the reason he's doing it, Trump is right on this one. The $2000 should be a minimum, and all the money going to airlines, banks, and big corporations for "payment protection," which has no enforcement provision, meaning they can still fire people anyway and just keep the money for themselves (exactly what they've been doing already), all that money needs to go directly to individuals. It's a 900 billion bill. So send $3000 to every individual. None for Big Business.

[DeusExMachinaBKK]

$600 lol... that will pay for maybe some of your rent. Who needs food and electricity !?

 

again, Trump is correct. 

[onthedarkside]

A post with a LONG list of CV relief bill funding items, which had no source or attribution, has been removed. Also, forum policy is to quote a brief excerpt and then provide a weblink to the full source.

 

[stevenl]

54 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Sounds like good old fashioned common sense. Give the American public more, and give less to the likes of Pakistan gender programs(whatever they even are, or why they are given $10 million in an American covid stimulus bill). I am seeing every poster so far hating this proposal by Trump, I ask is it possible for people to refuse the $2,000 cheques if they hate Trump? It should be an option.

I'll agree with you this time. The cheques should be bigger, other spending than stimulus should not be in there. Problem is that the Democrats wanted exactly that, and Republicans opposed exactly that. Suddenly the deficit is an issue again for them, as it no doubt will be when Biden comes with proposals next term.

 

The problem many people have with Trump here is this, expressed by another member a bit earlier "He sits out the negotiations that got the $600 and then suddenly comes up with this.".

 

Your sentence about refusing the cheques is just trolling though. Unless you're addressing the Republicans on here who want to decrease the deficit?

Edited December 23, 2020 by stevenl

[TopDeadSenter]

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

I'll agree with you this time. The cheques should be bigger, other spending than stimulus should not be in there. Problem is that the Democrats wanted exactly that, and Republicans opposed exactly that.

That is not the way I remember events unfolding. Do you have some link to prove the democrats did not want to be funding Pakistani gender programs and all that other stuff, and that Trump DID? That just does not sound plausible, sorry.

 

3 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Your sentence about refusing the cheques is just trolling though. Unless you're addressing the Republicans on here who want to decrease the deficit?

I do not troll. I am referring to those posting here that Trump's stimulus is so terrible etc, that if they choose to not accept it for personal reasons, that there should be an opt out clause. Nobody wants to force somebody into taking a hand-out from someone they despise so much, it would be soul destroying. Whether Republican or Democrat.

[stevenl]

8 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

<snip>

I do not troll. I am referring to those posting here that Trump's stimulus is so terrible etc, that if they choose to not accept it for personal reasons, that there should be an opt out clause. Nobody wants to force somebody into taking a hand-out from someone they despise so much, it would be soul destroying. Whether Republican or Democrat.

Those people that are objecting to this in general say the cheques should be bigger. So you're saying that since the amount is smaller than hoped for they should reject it? Makes no sense at all.

[Eric Loh]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Trump threatens to not sign COVID-19 bill, wants bigger stimulus checks

Thank you socialist Trump. 

[onthedarkside]

An off topic diversion post and reply have been removed.

[HarrySeaman]

For once I think Trump is doing the right thing by not signing the C19 relief bill.  That bill has so much étron (its French - look it up) and giveaways added that it should be rejected.  The national defense bill is even more loaded down with étron that has nothing what so ever to do with the national defense.

 

For C19 relief we don't need a two-year tax break for corporate meal expenses, we don't need a $10,000 fine for streaming copyright videos (there are already sufficient punishments for this), and we don't need the ton of other étron in the bill. 

 

Make it simple, $1200 to $2000 to each individual tax payer or Social Security recipient, money directly to small businesses (based on their capital worth) IF they use that money to pay their rent or hire workers, money to providers of free food and/or shelter to those in need.  Money to towns, cities, and states IF they spend 100% of that money on hiring workers for public works.  NO money to large corporations unless they use it to add new workers.

 

If a member of Congress complains about a budget deficit remind them that Trump and the Republican's giant corporate tax give away created a huge increase in the national debt and that all they have to do is rescind that bill to start reducing the budget deficit.

Edited December 23, 2020 by HarrySeaman

[Tie Dye Samurai]

1 hour ago, TopDeadSenter said:

That is not the way I remember events unfolding. Do you have some link to prove the democrats did not want to be funding Pakistani gender programs and all that other stuff, and that Trump DID? That just does not sound plausible, sorry.

 

I do not troll. I am referring to those posting here that Trump's stimulus is so terrible etc, that if they choose to not accept it for personal reasons, that there should be an opt out clause. Nobody wants to force somebody into taking a hand-out from someone they despise so much, it would be soul destroying. Whether Republican or Democrat.

First of all  it isnt TRUMP's stimulus, it is the AMERICAN PEOPLE'S stimulus..Dear president is not the American Government.....especially in 4 more weeks. Second of all if he wanted more money to be in the package to be paid out to the people maybe he should have taken an active part in the negotiations with congress instead of holing up, sulking, tweeting and trying to overturn the will of the people because more than 80 million people want his butt out of the executive office. 

 

The people should get their money now and then he can show off his master negotiator skills and get them more money before the Space Force escorts him off the White House premises. Now what's going to happen is he isn't going to sign the bill and the people will get NOTHING....and the last I looked....$600 is better than $0.

 

Besides if he wants the people to have more money why doesn't he kick in with some of his grifting cash he has been accumulating for the past month

[simple1]

1 hour ago, TopDeadSenter said:

That is not the way I remember events unfolding. Do you have some link to prove the democrats did not want to be funding Pakistani gender programs and all that other stuff, and that Trump DID? That just does not sound plausible, sorry.

 

I do not troll. <SNIP>

Beg to differ, why specifically select a program for ridicule which in fact is aimed at supporting women's rights in a Muslim country. Atypical behaviour by trump and co, including his daughter in law's opposition, disgusting public face of nepotism. trump stopped the funding back in 2018, blaming Pakistan not doing enough fighting Islamist terrorism, a country which has lost far more people in the military and civilians combatting terrorism than the US, whilst hosting millions of refugee for decades. Imran Khan has an extremely tough job, he deserves support, not undermining.

 

The US Congress on Tuesday approved USD 25 million civilian aid package for Pakistan to strengthen democracy and promote women's rights in the South Asian country.

 

https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/us-congress-clears-25-million-for-democracy-gender-programmes-in-pakistan-120122201575_1.html

 

trump is a disgrace, not contributing to the development of the Covid support package and at the last moment dropping in, making noise to gain attention. trump will soon be removed from the presidency, very likely history will judge trump's one term presidency and his sycophants harshly.

 

[pegman]

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

Thank you socialist Trump. 

Trump stole the $2,000 idea from Bernie. What next, will he be demanding a single payer healthcare bill to sign before he leaves?

[TopDeadSenter]

8 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Beg to differ, why specifically select a program for ridicule which in fact is aimed at supporting women's rights in a Muslim country.

It is called the Covid relief bill. It is an emergency measure to ensure Americans whose lives and livelihoods have been decimated by the CoronaVirus and lockdown responses enforced by the govt can feed and shelter themselves. So, it is entirely fair that reading the small print and learning many millions of American tax payers $ will be sent for some gender project in Pakistan caused some raised eyebrows. Unless of course, a gender project in Pakistan turns out to be critical for American's lives to return to normality once the virus dies out or herd immunity kicks in? But I doubt it.

[metisdead]

 

Trump calls Covid relief bill unsuitable and demands Congress add bigger stimulus payments

 

"President Donald Trump, in a stunning Tuesday night tweet, called the $900 billion Covid relief bill passed by Congress an unsuitable “disgrace” and urged lawmakers to make a number of changes to the measure, including bigger direct payments to individuals and families.
 

Trump also suggested that his administration might be the “next administration,” despite his loss to President-elect Joe Biden.

 

The relief legislation passed by Congress on Monday was negotiated in part by a senior Trump administration official, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin."

 

 

The report by Reuters in the opening post of this topic has a shorter version of the video which is in the report by CNBC:  

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/22/trump-calls-covid-relief-bill-unsuitable-and-demands-congress-add-higher-stimulus-payments.html

[vandeventer]

2 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Sounds like good old fashioned common sense. Give the American public more, and give less to the likes of Pakistan gender programs(whatever they even are, or why they are given $10 million in an American covid stimulus bill). I am seeing every poster so far hating this proposal by Trump, I ask is it possible for people to refuse the $2,000 cheques if they hate Trump? It should be an option.

Yes ,They need to take out all the democratic sponsors promised money, and give it to  the people and the small shop owners that really need it. The Dems. should have a good look at them selves and try to think America First.

[Tie Dye Samurai]

16 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

It is called the Covid relief bill. It is an emergency measure to ensure Americans whose lives and livelihoods have been decimated by the CoronaVirus and lockdown responses enforced by the govt can feed and shelter themselves. So, it is entirely fair that reading the small print and learning many millions of American tax payers $ will be sent for some gender project in Pakistan caused some raised eyebrows. Unless of course, a gender project in Pakistan turns out to be critical for American's lives to return to normality once the virus dies out or herd immunity kicks in? But I doubt it.

Maybe if the $10 million is such a concern Dear President can cover it with the benefits of Make Grifting Great Again 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Tie Dye Samurai

[Paul Henry]

This is just Trump grandstanding. Trying to tell the people of the USA he cares, looking for popularity votes not a decent bone in this mans body. Mean and cruel to the end.

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, HarrySeaman said:

For C19 relief we don't need a two-year tax break for corporate meal expenses,

 

Apparently, this was something Mnuchin held out hard for. Overall, your proposal is better than what is out there. But let's be realistic. The Payroll Protection in place with the last multi trillion giveaway last spring only meant that big corps, such as airlines, couldn't fire people until after the deadline. If they didn't fire people, their "loan" was forgiven, THEN they fired everyone. This bill doesn't even have that enforcement provision. I do like the way the government is forgiving the "loans" to big companies such as airlines and cruise companies and then denying the same relief to individual Americans because that would interfere with the concept of "moral hazard" in finance. I hope all those Covid injections that Congress pushed themselves into the front of the line for go bad on them.

[John Drake]

2 minutes ago, Paul Henry said:

This is just Trump grandstanding. Trying to tell the people of the USA he cares, looking for popularity votes not a decent bone in this mans body. Mean and cruel to the end.

 

Who cares! I want the $2000. So do a lot of other people. Stop worrying about who gets the damn credit and get the money to the people.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

28 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

Yes ,They need to take out all the democratic sponsors promised money, and give it to  the people and the small shop owners that really need it. The Dems. should have a good look at them selves and try to think America First.

 

You mean, like the fact that the Dem. controlled House of Reps TWICE passed bills earlier this year to authorize $1200 individual payments -- and those were opposed virtually unanimously by Trump and Republican lawmakers...

 

Not just because of other side issues included in the bills, but because the Republicans complained that level of relief spending wasn't necessary and would impact the federal budget...

 

But now Trump comes along on his way out the door -- after months of doing NOTHING on the CV relief front -- and wants to upset the apple cart that his own Treasury Sec. and Republican House and Senate leaderships just agreed to and overwhelmingly passed...

 

Huh???

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK