As Trump continues to rage about the election supposedly being "stolen" from him and demanding $2000 checks after the fact rather than when it would have done some good, emergency pandemic relief is set to expire for millions of Americans.
Millions of Americans will see their unemployment benefits lapse, at least temporarily, after President Donald Trump let Saturday night pass without signing a bipartisan stimulus package containing various pandemic aid.
While the president dug in over the size of direct checks to be sent to many Americans, the $900 billion stimulus accord contains numerous other measures, including extended unemployment benefits, funding for food banks, rental assistance, support for small businesses and for Covid vaccination programs, and other items.
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Trump took no action on the stimulus bill that Congress approved, which has been delivered to him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, beyond expressing his displeasure with a series of tweets up to and beyond midnight Saturday.
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Trump has demanded that Congress increase stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 for eligible Americans -- an abrupt proposal that blindsided lawmakers after they spent months negotiating the final package, and is opposed by many Republicans. He’s also complained about some of the items in the stimulus plan or in the omnibus spending bill.
“I simply want to get our great people $2000, rather than the measly $600 that is now in the bill,” Trump tweeted on Saturday.
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Given the potential lapse in funding, it could take as long as a month before people receive their funds and even longer for the effects to filter into the economy, according to Michael Englund, chief economist at Action Economics LLC.
Merry Christmas America.
