This isn’t out of the blue, as President Trump has mentioned wanting $2,000 relief payments since not long after the first COVID relief passed
In an unexpected video posted to Twitter on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump denounced a sweeping COVID-19 relief package he was expected to sign, calling it a “disgrace” and urging congressional leaders to make several changes to the bill including increasing direct payments for Americans.
“It’s called the COVID relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID,” he said in a video posted just moments after he issued a raft of pardons for several allies. “I’m asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple.”
The president stopped short of saying he would veto the bipartisan legislation but was expected to sign the measure alongside a $1.4 trillion spending bill to fund the government. Trump called on Congress to remove “wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation,” appearing to conflate the relief bill with the government spending measure. (snip)
“I am 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,†Trump said. “And maybe that administration will be me, and we will get it done.â€
Let’s be honest, most citizens are conflating the two measures, since they were joined and Congress voted on them together.
(Breitbart) Trump criticized the bill for extending direct coronavirus relief payments to family members of illegal aliens, getting up to $1,800 each.
“This is far more than the Americans are given,†Trump said.
The also president lamented that the bill also failed to provide substantial aid to restaurants and small businesses.
Trump berated members of Congress for failing to even read the massive bill before passing it quickly in the last hours before the Christmas holiday.
“It’s called the COVID relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID,†he said.
“Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries and lobbyists and special interests, while sending the bare minimum to the American people who need it,†Trump said.
Nancy Pelosi is in favor of the $2,000 payment, though, she, as House Speaker, didn’t work particularly hard to help the American people with the COVID relief bill. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are also on-board with the $2,000 payout. Congress could easily strip tens of billions, if not more, from the COVID relief and government spending measures to pay for this and help for small businesses and such.
Yes, it would be much better to open the economy, get people working, but, at this point, a lot of people are hurting because of the lockdowns and such.
