'Abdication of responsibility': Biden slams Trump
for holding up coronavirus relief
“This bill is critical. It needs to be signed into law
now," the president-elect said.
President-elect Joe Biden slammed President Donald
Trump for holding up the roughly $900 billion in aid for Americans suffering
from economic damage caused by the pandemic.
By EVAN
SEMONES
12/26/2020
01:51 PM EST
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/26/biden-slams-trump-coronavirus-relief-bill-450530
President-elect
Joe Biden on Saturday took President Donald Trump to task over his refusal so
far to sign a coronavirus stimulus package with unemployment benefits for
millions set to expire and government funding in limbo.
In a
statement, Biden slammed Trump for holding up the roughly $900 billion in aid
for Americans suffering from economic damage caused by the pandemic, calling
the delay an “abdication of responsibility” on the president’s part.
“It is the
day after Christmas, and millions of families don’t know if they’ll be able to
make ends meet because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign an economic
relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority,”
Biden said. “This bill is critical. It needs to be signed into law now.”
After the
passage of the bill, the president threatened to wield his veto power if the
aid package didn’t contain $2,000 stimulus checks for individuals.
Currently
the bill includes $600 in direct payments to millions of households, an
extended eviction moratorium and expanded unemployment benefits.
House
Republicans broke with Trump on Thursday and blocked a measure by House
Democrats that would have provided the $1,400 in additional funds for every
American making under $75,000.
Those close
to Trump have signaled that he is increasingly dug in on the issue.
“I am
convinced he is more determined than ever to increase stimulus payments to
$2000 per person,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tweeted after golfing with
Trump in Florida on Christmas Day.
Trump
offered little hope on Saturday that he’d sign the bill as he raged against a
long list of frequent targets in a tweetstorm, including the Supreme Court, FBI
and Justice Department.
“I simply
want to get out great people $2000, rather than the measly $600 that is now in
the bill,” he tweeted.
The bill,
which also includes $1.4 trillion in regular government spending, was sent to
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort on Thursday. Without a signature, government funding
will run out on Monday night, triggering a shutdown.
Biden also
suggested that the bill wouldn’t be the last package of relief, calling it a
“down payment” on more action that he plans to take after being inaugurated in
January to revive the economy and contain the pandemic.
Trump in
turn called Saturday for "common sense" as he chided states for
imposing new lockdown restrictions to confront a wave of infections that has
led to record levels of hospitalization and death across the country.
"The
lockdowns in Democrat run states are absolutely ruining the lives of so many
people - Far more than the damage that would be caused by the China
Virus," Trump tweeted.
Trump went
on to falsely claim that Republican-led states like Florida, many of which have
resisted enacting new measures to control a surge of cases, were "open
& doing well." Florida reported more than 17,000 new cases and 142
additional deaths over a two-day span on Saturday.
Late
Saturday evening he tweeted: "$2000 + $2000 plus other family members. Not
$600. Remember, it was China’s fault!"
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