佛罗里达州西棕榈滩-唐纳德·特朗普总统周日晚上签署了9000亿美元的大流行救助计划，结束了他拒绝接受两党达成的协议后的几天，该协议将为企业和个人提供长期寻求的现金，并避免联邦政府关闭。

庞大的法案包括到9月为止为政府机构提供资金的1.4万亿美元，还包括其他会期结束时的优先事项，例如用于资金短缺的运输系统的资金和增加食品券收益。

在共和党和民主党人对两党协议的异议进行了一天的批评之后，在他在佛罗里达州的私人俱乐部的签字是在一天后进行的。他在第11个小时的要求（包括要求进行更大的救济检查和缩减支出的要求）使双方的成员都蒙上了双眼。随后他的脚步拖累导致成千上万挣扎求生的失业救济金失效，并威胁到在大流行中政府将关闭。

将法案签署为法律可以防止特朗普自己创造的另一场危机，并在他执政的最后几天结束与自己政党的僵持。

目前尚不清楚特朗普在拖延方面取得了什么成就，除了授权民主党人推动其政党反对的更高支票。特朗普在一份声明中重申了对COVID-19救济法案的不满，因为他向大多数美国人提供了600美元的支票，而不是他的共和党同僚拒绝的2000美元。他还抱怨他认为整个政府不必要的支出。

特朗普在声明中说：“我将用强烈的信息签署综合和一揽子计划，向国会明确表示需要清除浪费的物品。”

尽管总统坚持要向国会发送“带红线的版本”，并在撤消程序中将其删除，但这些只是向国会的建议。签署的法案不一定会更改。

议员们现在有喘息的空间，可以继续辩论救济检查是否应达到总统要求的规模。民主党领导的众议院支持更大的支票，并定于周一对该问题进行投票，但预计共和党执政的参议院将在开支面临反对的情况下将其忽略。目前，主管部门只能开始发送600美元的付款。

共和党人和民主党人迅速欢迎特朗普决定将该法案签署为法律的决定。

参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔（R-Ky）说：“妥协法案并不完美，但它将为全国各地急需帮助的肯塔克人和美国人带来巨大好处，” “我感谢总统将这项救济签署为法律。”

众议院议长南希·佩洛西，d-加利福尼亚州，被称为签署“对谁刚刚失去失业救济金的生命线在圣诞节周末十四万美国人欢迎的消息，并为数百万人挣扎这一历史性的流行病和经济危机中生存下去。 ”

但其他人抨击特朗普推迟将该法案变成法律的拖延。弗吉尼亚州众议员盖里·康诺利（Gerry Connolly）在一条推文中指责特朗普“在美国人的生活中玩了俄罗斯轮盘赌”。对他来说，这是一个熟悉而舒适的地方。”

参议院民主党领导人查克·舒默（DN.Y.）表示，他将向特朗普提出以2,000美元的支票在参议院投票的提议，从而使共和党人当场。

众议院将通过一项法案，给美国人2,000美元的支票。然后我将动议通过参议院。”舒默在推特上写道。“没有民主党人会反对。参议院共和党人吗？”

民主党承诺更多的援助来一次当选总统拜登上任，但共和党人信号等待和观望态度。

面对日益严峻的经济困境，疾病蔓延和迫在眉睫的停工，国会议员周日敦促特朗普立即签署立法，然后要求国会跟进其他援助。除了失业救济金和给家庭的救济金外，用于疫苗分发，企业等的资金都在网上。抵制迁离的保护也悬而未决。

I-Vt参议员伯尼·桑德斯（Bernie Sanders）说：“总统现在正在做的事情真是令人难以置信。” “这么多人受伤。……真是太疯狂了，这位总统必须最终……为美国人民做正确的事，而不再担心他的自我。”

宾夕法尼亚州的共和党参议员帕特·图密说，他了解到特朗普“希望因提倡大额支票而被铭记，但危险是，如果他允许这一点过期，他将因其混乱，痛苦和不稳定的行为而被铭记。”

Toomey补充说：“因此，正如我所说，我认为最好的做法是签署此协议，然后为随后的立法辩护。”

共和党马里兰州州长拉里·霍根（Larry Hogan）也表达了同样的观点，他批评特朗普的大流行反应以及他为取消选举结果所做的努力。他说：“我只是猜测他下一步会做什么而已。”

伊利诺伊州的共和党众议员亚当·金辛格说，特朗普“玩这个古老的switcheroo游戏”危在旦夕。

他说：“我不明白这一点。” “我不知道正在做什么，为什么这样做，除非只是因为你输了选举而制造混乱，显示力量并感到沮丧。”

自特朗普提出协议以来，华盛顿一直在re不休。手指指向政府官员，包括财政部长史蒂芬·姆努钦（Steven Mnuchin），因为立法者试图了解他们是否对特朗普的立场被误导了。

金辛格说：“在总统本人谈判总统不想要的事情之后，现在就陷入困境，这只是-令人惊讶。”

金津格在美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）的“国情咨文”中发言，霍根（Hogan）和桑德斯（Sanders）在美国广播公司的“本周”中讲话。
 

Trump signs massive measure funding government, COVID relief

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Sunday evening, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal that will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and avert a federal government shutdown.

The massive bill includes $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September and contains other end-of-session priorities such as money for cash-starved transit systems and an increase in food stamp benefits.

The signing, at his private club in Florida, came after a day of vocal criticism from Republicans and Democrats over his objections to the bipartisan agreement, which passed the House and Senate by large margins with lawmakers believing they had Trump’s support. His eleventh-hour demands, including a push for larger relief checks and scaled-back spending, had blindsided members of both parties. His subsequent foot-dragging resulted in a lapse in unemployment benefits for millions struggling to make ends meet and threatened a government shutdown in the midst of a pandemic.

Signing the bill into law prevents another crisis of Trump’s own creation and ends a standoff with his own party during the final days of his administration.

It was unclear what Trump had accomplished with his delay, beyond empowering Democrats to push for the higher checks that his party opposes. In a statement, Trump repeated his frustrations with the COVID-19 relief bill for providing only $600 checks to most Americans instead of the $2,000 that his fellow Republicans rejected. He also complained about what he considered unnecessary spending by the government at large.

“I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed,” Trump said in the statement.

While the president insisted he would send Congress “a redlined version” with items to be removed under the rescission process, those are merely suggestions to Congress. The bill, as signed, would not necessarily be changed.

Lawmakers now have breathing room to continue debating whether the relief checks should be as large as the president has demanded. The Democratic-led House supports the larger checks and is set to vote on the issue Monday, but it's expected to be ignored by the Republican-held Senate where spending faces opposition. For now, the administration can only begin work sending out the $600 payments.

Republicans and Democrats swiftly welcomed Trump's decision to sign the bill into law.

“The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do an enormous amount of good for struggling Kentuckians and Americans across the country who need help now,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “I thank the President for signing this relief into law."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the signing “welcome news for the fourteen million Americans who just lost the lifeline of unemployment benefits on Christmas Weekend, and for the millions more struggling to stay afloat during this historic pandemic and economic crisis.”

But others slammed Trump's delay in turning the bill into law. In a tweet, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., accused Trump of having “played Russian roulette with American lives. A familiar and comfortable place for him.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would offer Trump’s proposal for $2,000 checks for a vote in Senate — putting Republicans on the spot.

“The House will pass a bill to give Americans $2,000 checks. Then I will move to pass it in the Senate,” Schumer tweeted. “No Democrats will object. Will Senate Republicans?”

Democrats are promising more aid to come once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, but Republicans are signaling a wait-and-see approach.

In the face of growing economic hardship, spreading disease and a looming shutdown, lawmakers on Sunday had urged Trump to sign the legislation immediately, then have Congress follow up with additional aid. Aside from unemployment benefits and relief payments to families, money for vaccine distribution, businesses and more was on the line. Protections against evictions also hung in the balance.

“What the president is doing right now is unbelievably cruel,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. “So many people are hurting. ... It is really insane and this president has got to finally ... do the right thing for the American people and stop worrying about his ego.”

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he understood that Trump “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 to expire.”

Toomey added: “So I think the best thing to do, as I said, sign this and then make the case for subsequent legislation.”

The same point was echoed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican who’s criticized Trump’s pandemic response and his efforts to undo the election results. “I just gave up guessing what he might do next,” he said.

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said too much is at stake for Trump to “play this old switcheroo game.”

“I don’t get the point,” he said. “I don’t understand what’s being done, why, unless it’s just to create chaos and show power and be upset because you lost the election.”

Washington had been reeling since Trump turned on the deal. Fingers pointed at administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, as lawmakers tried to understand whether they were misled about Trump’s position.

“Now to be put in a lurch, after the president’s own person negotiated something that the president doesn’t want, it’s just — it’s surprising,” Kinzinger said.

Kinzinger spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and Hogan and Sanders on ABC’s “This Week.”