COVID-19 relief bill awaits President Trump’s signature in Fla.

December 26, 2020 KT1 US 0

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 9:50 AM PT – Saturday, December 26, 2020

Americans may have to wait a bit longer for their next round of stimulus checks. The newest COVID-19 relief package is awaiting President Trump’s signature in Florida. However, uncertainty surrounds the package as the President has not said if he will sign it.

This comes as unemployment benefits are set to expire on Saturday if they are not renewed.

Meanwhile, a government shutdown would begin as soon as next week if the relief bill does not pass and lawmakers are still debating the amount of aid Americans should receive.

Reports Thursday said some representatives are against President Trump’s calls to increase the “ridiculously low” payments of $600 to $2,000. This is despite support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle including Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

“Democrats agree with the President, at least to the extent that we need to sign this bill now,” Hoyer said. “$600 is certainly not enough for individuals who have been struggling these past seven months, and it isn’t enough to provide the boost our economy needs.”

Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proposed bringing the House back for a rare Christmas Eve session to hold a “recorded vote” on the bill to increase the payments.

This Christmas Eve morning, House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $2,000 checks Trump agreed to support. On Monday, the House will hold a vote on our stand-alone bill to increase economic impact payments to $2,000.

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 24, 2020

In a statement, Pelosi said “to vote against this bill is to deny the financial hardship that families face and to deny them the relief they need.”

Another round of negotiations could delay the bill by several days, while a veto from President Trump could delay it by weeks.

According to a recent study by TransUnion, six in 10 Americans said they have “suffered a financial hit due to the pandemic,” and 40 percent of those households “had been banking on the prospect of another stimulus check to help them pay their bills.”