Donald Trump threatens to torpedo Covid stimulus bill, calls it a ‘disgrace’
- In surprise video announcement posted on Twitter, Trump said the bill was full of ‘wasteful and unnecessary’ items
- Trump demands that lawmakers more than triple relief payments to Americans
Trump assailed the bipartisan US$900 billion package in a video he tweeted out Tuesday night and suggested he may not sign it. He said the bill would deliver too much money to foreign countries, but not enough to Americans.
“The bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated,” Trump said. “It really is a disgrace.”
The bill provides for a US$600 payment to most Americans, but Trump said he is asking Congress to amend the bill and “increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple. I am also asking Congress to get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation and to send me a suitable bill”.
The relief package was part of a hard-fought compromise bill that includes US$1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September and contains other end-of-session priorities such as money for cash-starved transit systems, an increase in food stamp benefits and about US$4 billion to help other nations provide a Covid-19 vaccine for their people.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quickly responded to Trump’s tweet with one of her own, all but daring Trump’s Republican allies in Congress to meet the president’s demand for far higher payments. “At last, the President has agreed to $2,000,” she tweeted. “Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it!”