U.S. President Donald Trump failed to sign a critical pandemic relief and government funding package before midnight, meaning increased unemployment benefits and eviction protections expired at 12:01 a.m. Sunday.
Trump had sharply criticized the legislation earlier this week and on Saturday indicated his continued objections to it.
Trump tweeted, “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.’”
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”.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2020
Trump’s support for the larger checks has been seen as a rebuke to members of his Republican party, which had resisted Democratic efforts to negotiate larger payments.
Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania told ABC’s “This Week” show, “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 (coronavirus relief bill) to expire.”
A long-time Trump critic, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, said, “What the president is doing right now is unbelievably cruel. Many millions of people are losing their extended unemployment benefits. They’re going to be evicted from their apartments. There’s money in that bill.”
Fourteen million Americans will lose unemployment benefits, according to Labor Department data.❐
