The president called the bill a "disgrace" and demanded that individuals receive much more than a $600 stimulus. Opposition Democrats agreed with him on that point.
Donald Trump has urged Congress to amend what he calls a 'wasteful' billImage: Evan Vucci/AP Photo/picture alliance
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US President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that he might not authorize the COVID relief bill worth $900 billion (€739 billion).
In a video released on Twitter, he called the bill a "disgrace." Trump said Congress should increase the amount in the stimulus checks from what he considered the "ridiculously low" $600 to $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for couples.
He also complained about money in the bill going towards the Smithsonian Institution, fish breeding, and foreign countries.
"I'm also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package. And maybe that administration will be me," said Trump, despite losing last month's election.
What is in the bill?
The relief package is wrapped up in a $2.3 trillion, nearly 5,600-page "coronabus" bill. The bill includes the so-called omnibus bill worth $1.4 trillion which would fund the federal government for the coming year.
The bill would also provide a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit, as well as subsidies for hard-hit businesses including restaurants and movie theaters, as well as money for schools and health care providers.
What do the opposition Democrats say?
Democrats supported the idea of higher payouts for individuals. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi agreed with the president that individuals should receive more stimulus money.
In a tweet, Pelosi said, "at last the president has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent."
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said more was needed for American citizens, but opposing Republicans blocked it. "We spent months trying to secure $2,000 checks but Republicans blocked it[.] Trump needs to sign the bill to help people and keep the government open," tweeted Schumer.
President-elect Joe Biden said the bill was far from perfect, "but it does provide vital relief at a critical time."
Biden added that more relief would be needed throughout 2021, when he takes over the presidency.
Could there be a government shutdown?
The US government is currently being funded on a temporary basis until December 28. Failure to pass another stopgap bill or override a potential Trump veto could result in a partial government shutdown.
The federal government has shut down twice under Trump. It first occurred in January 2018 after Congress could not agree on the DREAM Act and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policies.
Another shutdown occurred from December 2018 to January 2019 due to a disagreement on border security. That shutdown lasted 35 days, the longest in US history.
US government shutdowns: A chronology
President Joe Biden's government is facing a shutdown if the Republican Congress doesn't approve the budget for the coming fiscal year. DW looks at how shutdowns started, when they became partisan and how much they cost.
Image: Getty Images/D. Angerer
Sundown shutdown
As midnight approaches on September 30, it's go time for Congress: Approve a budget before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, or shut down the government. Originally, Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution required lawmakers to approve the budget. Honing it further in 1870, the Antideficiency Act targeted agencies that spent money without asking. But deadlines were often missed.
Image: picture-alliance/CNP/A. Edelma
No money, no pay, no work
At the behest of President Jimmy Carter, the US attorney general revisited the Antideficiency Act in 1980 to answer the question: "Without a budget, are government employees required to work?" According to his Attorney General's legal opinion, no money meant no work. Carter's presidency saw only small shutdowns, but the new interpretation of the law turned shutdowns into a negotiating tactic.
Image: picture alliance / Everett Collection
Ronald Reagan and the first shutdown
The first real shutdown — more than 240,000 workers furloughed, more than $80 million (€65 million) down the drain — occurred in November 1981. President Ronald Reagan refused to sign a budget without billions in tax cuts. The Republican-controlled Senate and the Democrat-controlled House found a solution the next day. This happened seven more times by his last year in 1989.
Image: AP
Bill Clinton and the rise of the partisan shutdown
Budget impasses were largely drama-free until 1995, when President Bill Clinton faced off against Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (pictured left). The Republican-led Congress wanted a balanced budget within seven years, higher Medicare premiums and rollbacks on environment regulations. It took 27 days in total to strike a deal. The cost: at least $1 billion.
Image: POOL/AFP/Getty Images
A game for Congress, a headache for the agencies
Many departments such as the military, national security and any deemed essential to the protection of life continue working during shutdowns. But agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must cease operations. This results in delays on tax decisions, food inspection and disease research among other problems.
Image: picture-alliance/BSIP/B. Boissonet
Barack Obama and Congress on Cruz-control
The next major shutdown came in 2013 under President Barack Obama. His Affordable Health Care Act — or Obamacare — faced stark opposition from conservative House Republicans. Led by Senator Ted Cruz, the group pushed for drastic curbs on the health care act in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. The 18-day shutdown resulted in the furlough of some 850,000 workers. The cost: $24 billion.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/C. Dharapak
Shutdown for a wall
The longest shutdown in US history so far lasted 35 days in December 2018 and January 2019. Hundreds of federal workers went without paychecks. Despite the disruption, then-President Donald Trump insisted that funding for his Mexico border wall be included in the budget. In fact, Trump had said he was prepared for the impasse to go on for years — before he gave in and reopened government.
Image: Doug Mills/UPI Photo/Imago Images
Cost of playing politics
The prohibitive cost of shutting down some government operations has not tamed the trend. Washington loses millions not just in revenue, but also in back pay, even though furloughed employees stay at home. So, time lost, work lost — and money lost. According to a 2019 estimate by ratings agency Standard and Poor's, a government shutdown costs the US roughly $6 billion per week.
Image: Imago
Shutdowns contributing to distrust?
The biggest loser is not the economy, or the party that makes the most concessions, it's the government itself. According to a Gallup poll in the aftermath of the 2013 shutdown, public dissatisfaction with the government in general rose to 33%. The previous all-time high regarding political dysfunction was 26% during the Watergate scandal.