President Trump in a tweet early Sunday pressed Congress to pass another round of coronavirus relief, calling for “more money in direct payments.”
“Why isn’t Congress giving our people a Stimulus Bill?” he asked.
“It wasn’t their fault, it was the fault of China,” he added. “GET IT DONE, and give them more money in direct payments.”
The president’s tweet came shortly after Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) agreed on language to curtail the Federal Reserve’s special lending authorities. That agreement late Saturday set the stage for passage of a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill and $1.4 trillion omnibus spending package as early as Sunday.
The coronavirus aid package will include direct stimulus checks between $600 and $700 under a commitment GOP leaders made to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Friday. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) worked with Hawley to include the stimulus checks.
White House aides last week reportedly talked Trump out of asking for as much as $2,000 in direct payments for Americans, fearing it could disrupt negotiations on Capitol Hill. The Washington Post reported that Trump said he wanted payments of “at least” $1,200 and possibly as high as $2,000.
The relief legislation is also expected to include extensions for expiring tax provisions.
Democrats, the White House and Senate Republicans have been negotiating for more than seven months over the size and scope of a new coronavirus relief bill.