12/27/20 Update:
President Trump just signed the coronavirus relief and government funding bill.
This will allow major benefits like unemployment benefits to resume in a timely fashion and will avoid a government shut down.
The unemployment benefits which provide $300 and weekly benefits will be extended for 11 weeks through the middle of March.
There will be a small gap and benefits as CNN reports
those in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs will likely not receive a payment for the final week of the year. And the $300 federal enhancement may only last 10 weeks instead of 11 weeks for most folks.
This proposal authorizes $600 stimulus checks but Trump said that he signed the bill only after he got a commitment for the Senate to consider increasing the checks from $600 to $2,000.
The Senate should be voting tomorrow on whether or not they will expand the direct payments.
So Trump signing this stimulus bill does not rule out the possibility of $2,000 stimulus checks — at least not for now.
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Both Republicans and Democrats are beginning to voice their opinions on the President’s decision to put off signing the latest coronavirus relief bill.
First, it’s worth noting that there are some lawmakers who do support the president’s decision and these include some key members within the GOP such as Lindsey Graham whoo wrote:
After spending some time with President @realDonaldTrump today, I am convinced he is more determined than ever to increase stimulus payments to $2000 per person and challenge Section 230 big tech liability protection.
Other members of the GOP have also expressed support
But there are also some prominent lawmakers who are insisting that the president sign the bill now.
Interestingly, some of them have remarked that there would still be a later possibility of delivering more aid, such as bigger stimulus checks.
That could mean that we could see more aid in 2021, perhaps even a third round of stimulus checks which is what Joe Biden has talked about.
Here are some comments going around:
“Sign the bill, get it done,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (a Republican) said.
“And then, if the president wants to push for more, let’s get that done too. Let’s work together in a bipartisan way. It’d be a great way for him to end the administration.”
“You can’t diddle around with the bill,” said U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“Sign the bill, Mr. President, and then immediately, Monday, Tuesday, we can pass a $2,000 direct payment to the working families of this country.”
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., agreed with the sentiment.
“You don’t get everything you want even if you’re president of the United States,” Toomey said.
“We’ve got a bill right now that his administration helped negotiate. I think we ought to get that done.”
“As he leaves office, I understand he wants to be remembered for advocating for big checks… But the danger is he’ll be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior if he allows this to expire.”
Members of the bipartisan group that put together the proposal are even asking Trump to act quickly if he would like to veto the bill.
“We are asking you to please sign the emergency relief bill,” said the lawmakers.
“However, if your objection to the COVID-19 relief bill will prevent you from signing, please veto it immediately. You’ve made your position clear and rejecting it quickly will allow those in favor to act before it is too late.”
So there are lawmakers who are both for and against more stimulus checks that want President Trump to immediately sign the relief bill.
The comments from these prominent lawmakers show it’s pretty clear that there is some major mixed opinions within Congress.
Based on what I have seen and heard, it seems likely that lawmakers overall want Trump to sign this proposal into law as soon as possible so that certain types of benefits such as unemployment benefits can get out.
Then after that they can focus on whether or not bigger stimulus checks should go out.
That debate would likely not ignite until well after inauguration day and we could find ourselves going through this process for another couple of months as lawmakers struggle with the best way to relieve struggling Americans.
In the end, we won’t know what is happening until tomorrow when the vote takes place for the checks. If I had to guess, the vote will not pass the Senate but crazier things have happened.
Related
Stimulus benefits expire as huge vote approaches
More support growing for $2,000 stimulus checks
Third stimulus check coming in 2021?
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
