US President Donald Trump refused to sign an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill. So the unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet lapsed overnight. It had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections. The fate of the bipartisan package remained in limbo Sunday as Trump continued to demand larger COVID relief checks and complained about pork spending. A government shutdown would occur without the widespread funding provided by the massive measure when the money runs out at 12:01 am Tuesday. A self-employed Lanetris Haines said, “It’s a chess game and we are pawns”. She stood to lose her $129 weekly jobless benefit unless Trump signed the package into law or succeeded in his improbable quest for changes.
Point to be noted that Washington has been reeling since Trump turned on the deal after it had won sweeping approval in both houses of Congress. The White House had assured Republican leaders that Trump would support it. He assailed the bill’s plan to provide $600 COVID relief checks to most Americans, insisting it should be $2,000. The US House Republicans swiftly rejected the idea during a rare Christmas Eve session. But, President Trump has not been swayed despite the nation being in the grip of a pandemic. Donald Trump tweeted and said, “I simply want to get our great people $2000, rather than the measly $600 that is now in the bill. Also, stop the billions of dollars in ‘pork’”. Joe Biden also called on Trump to sign the bill immediately as the deadline nears for 2 federal unemployment aid programs.
President-elect issued a statement and said, “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”. He also alleged Trump of an abdication of responsibility that has devastating consequences. A Michigan Democrat, Debbie Dingell said, “I’ve been talking to people who are scared they’re going to be kicked out from their homes, during the Christmas holidays, and still might be if we don’t sign this bill. A fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, Lauren Bauer has calculated that 11 million people would lose aid from the programs immediately without additional relief and millions more would exhaust other unemployment benefits within weeks.
