Last Sunday, US President Trump signed another of many Corona relief packages, something he had suggested was a “disgrace” a few days back.
Lost Benefits
In the surprise move by Trump, he signed a bill that sees $900 billion spent on helping people who were unemployed by the year long pandemic, less than a week after refusing to sign it.
Trump insisted on not signing the legislation for nearly a week, going past the deadline of Saturday. While many have breathed a sigh of relief since the bill extends the insurance payment well into March, 2021, Trump’s stance had made officials uneasy as the delay meant that the unemployed citizens without a source of income would not be able to receive the relief money for at least a week, an estimated 14 million people in the US.
Though Trump has signed the bill and the money will start rolling out, he has requested removal of some “wasteful items” from it. He hasn’t clarified on what are these as of yet.
Increased Payments
The major issue behind Trump’s refusal had been the low payment that will be made to Americans. He wanted a $2000 weekly pay out but the bill defined the limit to $600. The Democrats are in agreement with his stance and are going to vote on increasing the stipend.
Along with this, he was also not comfortable since the bill, a small part of the massive $1.4 trillion government spending had a significant portion dedicated to foreign aid.
The refusal of Trump had sent many politicians and government officials running around, as the delay meant a lot of plans set already in motion had to be altered. One major industry effected by the refusal was the airlines, with the air transport companies depending on nearly $15 million of the package to give salaries to their employees as they have already started their operations.
The latest bill sets aside money for different sectors also, including jobless benefits for freelancers and has also dedicated Paycheck Protection Program of $284 billion for small businesses who are struggling.
