Trump signs the stimulus law against the pandemic and prevents a government shutdown

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–This content was published on 28 December 2020 – 08:24
28 December 2020 – 08:24

By Steve Holland and Susan Cornwell

PALM BEACH, Fla. / WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Sunday signed a $ 2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package that will restore unemployment benefits to millions of Americans and will prevent the shutdown of the federal government, thus ending a self-created crisis.

Trump, who leaves office on January 20 after losing the November election to President-elect Joe Biden, retracted his earlier threat to block the bill, which was approved by Congress last week after he suffered. intense pressure from both Republican and Democratic legislators.

The Republican president, who played golf on Sunday and stayed away from the public even as the government shutdown loomed, had demanded that Congress change the rule to increase the size of personal assistance checks from $ 600 to $ 2,000.

It was not immediately clear why Trump, who has refused to acknowledge Biden’s defeat, changed his mind about the stimulus package. His reluctance had threatened to add more chaos in the final stretch of his presidency.

After signing the bill behind closed doors at his beach club, Trump tried to put a good face on his change in plans, saying he was signing the law with “a strong message that makes it clear to Congress that there are inefficient articles that must be eliminated. “

“Much more money is coming in,” he insisted in a statement, although he did not provide anything to back up this promise.

And with less than a month left in office, Trump is expected to get little to no change from lawmakers.

Senior White House officials have been very secretive about Trump’s thinking, but a source familiar with the situation said some aides had urged him to give in.

Democrats have agreed to the $ 2,000 payments, but many Republicans have objected, so the figure is unlikely to be revised up while Trump is in office.

Many economists agree that financial aid in the bill should be higher to get the economy moving again, but say that what is urgently needed is immediate support for Americans affected by measures to contain the coronavirus. .

Unemployment benefits provided to some 14 million people through pandemic programs expired on Saturday, but will now be restored after Trump’s backtrack.

Additionally, that package includes $ 1.4 trillion in spending to fund government agencies. If Trump had not signed the law, a partial government shutdown would have begun on Tuesday that would have put the incomes of millions of public employees at risk.

Americans are living a bitter Christmas break amid a pandemic that has claimed nearly 330,000 lives in the country, with a daily death toll now repeatedly exceeding 3,000, the highest since the health crisis began.

(Information from Steve Holland and Susan Cornwell; additional information from Aram Roston and Matt Spetalnick; written by Matt Spetalnick and Alistair Bell; translated by Jose Elías Rodríguez)

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