GOP blocks $ 2,000 checks as Trump leaves COVID aid in chaos

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s sudden $ 2,000 check to most Americans was rejected by House Republicans because his dangerous actions have been massively thrown out. Govt The relief and government finance bill are in disarray.

With the help of millions of Americans waiting for Trump’s signature on the bill, the council’s rare Christmas Eve session lasted a few minutes. Unemployment benefits, eviction protection and other emergency assistance, including small $ 600 checks, are at risk. Trump’s rejection of the $ 900 billion package linked to the $ 1.4 trillion government finance bill could trigger a federal strike at midnight on Monday.

“We are not going to shut down the government, we are not going to bring down the American people,” said Steny Hoyer, a Member of the Knesset for Kadima.

The optics seem scary to Republicans and the outgoing president, as many may remember as the country suffers the worst holiday season. Families are isolated under COVID precautions and millions of American families are left without adequate income, food or shelter. The death toll from the virus has risen to more than 327,000.

Trump ends his presidency the way he began – sowing chaos and changing promises Competing in elections Federal strike over demands not to meet its own party in Congress.

Republican leaders in Congress have gone almost speechless as Trump spurred their work at the end of the year.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy helped negotiate the year-end deal, a valuable bipartisan compromise that received overwhelming approval in the House and Senate this week.

Treasury Secretary Steven Munuchin said he was proud to say that $ 600 checks, accepted by all parties for Americans, would be in the mail in a week.

Instead, Washington is now heading for a crisis with the help of the COVID because the president is at his Mar-e-Lago club. He has condemned GOP leaders for refusing to join his efforts to thwart the election Joe Biden The election in Congress on January 6 was won when the college vote increased.

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“The best way to do this is for the president to sign the bill,” said a Republican senator from Missouri. Roy Blunt said Thursday. “I still hope he decides that.”

In order to save the year-end law, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Munuchin are negotiating options.

Democrats will remind House legislators in Washington to vote Monday on Trump’s proposal, which will record a roll call for all members to support or reject the $ 2,000 check. They are also considering a referendum on Monday to avoid a federal strike. It will run the government until Biden takes office on January 20. 20. Lawmakers will also be asked to violate Trump’s veto on the mandatory security bill.

After presiding over the short House session, an enthusiastic delegate, Debbie Dingle, announced that D-Mitch, COVID assistance might fall.

“It’s Christmas Eve, but it’s not a quiet night. Not everything is quiet. For many, nothing is bright, “said Capitol Hill.

“People were crying, people were scared of what was going to happen,” he said at a town hall he held the night before. A father recently told her to tell his children that there will be no Santa Claus this year.

The president’s drive to raise direct payments for most Americans from $ 600 to $ 2,000 and for couples to 4 4,000 000 supports Democrats, but divides the GOP with a politically difficult test of their loyalty to the president.

Republican lawmakers have traditionally avoided large spending, never fully accepting Trump’s populist approach. Many objected to large $ 2,000 checks being too expensive and badly targeted.

In a conference call Wednesday, House Republican lawmakers complained that Trump had thrown them under the bus, and in a private call, according to a Republican, did not know the name to discuss it. Most people voted for the package, and they urged GOP leaders to explain its benefits to cable news programs, the person said.

Yet the president has found a common ground with Democrats, especially leading liberals who say the $ 2,000 allowance is the best way to help Americans fight back. Democrats settled only in small numbers to reconcile with Republicans.

Even if the council is able to approve Trump’s $ 2,000 check on Monday, the move will die in the GOP – controlled Senate, which is scheduled to resume session on Tuesday.

The president’s unpredictable demands are creating a Trump-related headache for the Georgia GOP Sense. Kelly Lofler and David Bertue are a couple fighting for their political careers – and for the Senate’s continued GOP control – Jan. 5 Georgia elections. They are being forced to choose whether to support or buy Trump, which could anger voters on all sides.

The clash erupted on Thursday as the Democrat-controlled forum convened for a regular pro-form session scheduled ahead of Trump’s sudden moves.

Instead, the 12-minute House session became a practical debate, with House No. 2 Democrat Hoyer seeking the unanimous approval of all House members to pass the bill with Trump’s proposal. GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who was not in the almost empty room, refused.

House Republicans have tried and failed to unanimously approve their own proposal to reconsider the regular foreign aid fund, which Trump cites as one of his main objections to the overall spending package.

The year-end package, which Trump accuses of being a “disgrace,” is the result of several months of work. It establishes a temporary $ 300 extra unemployment benefit per week, as well as a new round of subsidies for businesses, restaurants and theaters and schools. Funds have been added to assist health care providers and the distribution of the COVID vaccine. Trump has asked in his annual budget to target foreign aid funds in a package he has agreed to in the past.

It took days to compile the final text of the bill, which is more than 5,000 pages long, but Pelosi announced on Thursday that it would be completed and sent to the White House for Trump’s signature.

The end of the year complicates the schedule ahead. Even if Trump does not formally veto the veto, he could allow it to expire with a “pocket veto” at the end of the congressional session.

The Senate on Monday approved a major relief package by a 92-6 vote after the House approved it by 359-53. If Trump decides to take that step, the total of those votes will be enough to violate the veto.