Miami Jour de Noël 2020 ((rezonodwes.com))–The COVID-19 relief deal remains in limbo over Christmas after House Republicans rejected President Donald Trump’s demand for $2,000 stimulus checks on Thursday, while the president spent the day golfing in Florida.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi put forward a unanimous consent request to raise direct payments that was quickly blocked by Republicans in a rare Christmas Eve session of the House.
The White House reportedly told congressional Republicans to vote for the $900 billion stimulus package, but Trump surprised lawmakers when he branded the bipartisan deal a « disgrace » on Tuesday—a day after it overwhelmingly passed through the House and Senate following months of stalemate.
The president hinted that he wouldn’t sign the legislation unless it was amended to raise stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000, an idea that was quickly embraced by Democrats who had been pushing for higher payments.
But he left Washington, D.C. for Florida on Wednesday without clarifying whether he does intend to veto the bill.
