Millions of Americans saw their unemployment insurance expire on Saturday, December 26, after President Donald Trump refused to enact the nearly $ 900 billion stimulus package passed by Congress last Monday, complaining of insufficient funds paid directly to American families.
Donald Trump surprised his Republican peers as much as the Democrats when he said during the past week that he was not satisfied with the bill providing long-awaited aid of $ 892 billion (730 billion euros), including special unemployment insurance that expired on December 26, and $ 1.4 trillion in traditional federal funding until September 2021.
Without Donald Trump’s signature, some 14 million Americans could lose these unemployment benefits, according to data from the Department of Labor.
A partial closure of administrations (“Shutdown”) will also occur from Tuesday if Congress fails to agree by then on a provisional financing text.
Entrenched in his club in Mar-a-Lago
Republicans and Congressional Democrats reached agreement on a third stimulus package last weekend in the face of the effects of the coronavirus crisis after several months of intense debate. The White House had given its support to the agreement, and Donald Trump, who will cede power on January 20 to his Democratic rival Joe Biden, did not oppose the measures of the plan until it was voted on by both. chambers of Congress.
Since then, however, the current Republican tenant of the White House has complained that the text allocates an amount that he believes is too large for cultural projects and aid abroad in particular, stressing on the contrary that the check for 600 dollars intended for Americans in difficulty was insufficient. He called for this direct aid to be increased to $ 2,000. “Why wouldn’t politicians want to give people 2 000 dollars, rather than just 600 ? “Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday, calling on parliamentarians to “Give money to the people”.
Many economists believe the plan is insufficient, but see it as necessary and welcome immediate support. A source familiar with the matter said Donald Trump’s displayed opposition to the bill took many White House officials by surprise.
Donald Trump, who spends the end of the year holidays at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, has not yet formally vetoed the text. It is not excluded that the outgoing president will ratify the bill in the coming days, while his strategy on the issue remains unclear.
