Relief bill being sent to Trump in Florida

A massive government funding and coronavirus relief package is being sent to Florida on Thursday afternoon, where President Trump is mulling whether to sign it into law.

The legislation was enrolled on Thursday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tweeted. A person familiar with the matter confirmed it will be sent to Mar-a-Lago, where Trump is spending the holidays.

White House officials have declined to comment on whether the president intends to sign or veto the package.

Congress earlier this week passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief measure and $1.4 trillion omnibus. The clock is now ticking for Trump to sign the bill, but he blindsided lawmakers on Tuesday when he called the package a “disgrace,” complaining about aid for foreign countries and urging Congress to increase direct payments to Americans from $600 to $2,000.

Expanded unemployment benefits expire Saturday for many Americans, protections for renters would expire if it goes unsigned, funding for the government runs out on Monday and neither chamber of Congress appears prepared to renegotiate major portions of the bill.

Members of both parties have complained that Trump was absent throughout negotiations over the legislation, only to step in once it had passed and threaten to torpedo it.

House Republicans on Thursday rejected an effort by House Democrats to pass a bill to provide $2,000 stimulus checks, which Trump called for two days earlier, instead of the $600 checks included in the original bill. Senate GOP leaders indicated the upper chamber would not pass $2,000 direct payments, either.

“The best way out of this is for the president to sign the bill,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told reporters on Thursday.