Weeks of congressional stalemate over the terms of the next coronavirus relief bill resulted in President Donald Trump’s announcement of several executive orders addressing key issues affecting Americans during the continued public health crisis.
While the bold move could have sparked a renewed effort for a bipartisan bill in Congress, that does not appear to be the case — and Trump is calling out Democrats for holding up the process.
“Ready to send direct payments”
The president sounded off in a series of tweets on Friday taking aim at U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other party leaders for standing in the way of a deal his administration is willing to make.
“I have directed [U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin] to get ready to send direct payments ($3,400 for family of four) to all Americans,” Trump wrote. “DEMOCRATS ARE HOLDING THIS UP!”
As Fox Business noted, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress agree with the White House’s call for sending out another round of direct payments in the amount of $1,200 per adult plus and additional $500 per dependent — the aforementioned $3,400 for an average family of four.
The impasse stemmed from other aspects of the legislation being considered by lawmakers. Of course, those negotiations are now stalled as both the House and Senate have gone into recess until next month.
Trump went on to cite other proposals he would like to see addressed, including additional Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses negatively impacted by the pandemic.
“Ready to send more money”
“I am ready to send more money to States and Local governments to save jobs for Police, Fire Fighters, First Responders, and Teachers,” he added.
The president’s tweets continued with a declaration that he was ready to distribute $105 billion to the nation’s schools for the procurement of personal protective equipment as well as assistance to Americans struggling to pay their rent or mortgage.
In each of four tweets, he echoed the all-caps message of his first in the series: “DEMOCRATS ARE HOLDING THIS UP!”
Pelosi has even attracted criticism from within her own party for deciding to head back to California while negotiations on Capitol Hill remain stalled.
The move might come back to haunt Democrats, not to mention potentially cause further hardships for Americans across the political spectrum. Meanwhile, Trump appears determined to keep reminding voters.
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