Focused first on the general election and then on baseless attempts to reverse his result, Mr. Trump was largely left out of the negotiations, instead sending Mr. Mnuchin as his chief envoy.
During a private meeting with leading Republicans and leading Democrats to discuss the emerging relief deal, Ms Pelosi at one point lobbied Mr Mnuchin, over the speakerphone in his conference room , four times to express the president’s position on direct payments. “Come on, Steven,” she said when he declined to say, according to a person familiar with the meeting, who disclosed it on condition of anonymity.
Now, by undermining the negotiations Mr. Mnuchin led for the White House and throwing the passage of the $ 2.3 trillion package into limbo with little warning to top Republicans on Capitol Hill, Mr. Trump has risen the likelihood that the party bears the brunt of the blame for the continued delay in providing relief to Americans.
The coronavirus relief program would provide the first significant injection of federal aid since April, when Mr. Trump signed a $ 1.4 trillion government funding package. By rejecting it, the president would also derail some of his own priorities hidden in the measure, such as funding his southwest border wall, funding the Pentagon and a deal to ban surprise medical bills, which his administration had. previously urged lawmakers to pass. A number of the funding arrangements Mr. Trump identified in the catch-all omnibus also matched demands he made in his own budget proposal.
Republicans would again be forced to choose between their party’s leadership in Congress – Mr McCarthy and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who helped negotiate the final details of the stimulus deal – and a president known to fiercely anyone which he considers disloyal.
Mr Trump’s demands also provided a political gift to Democratic leaders, who have come under fire for agreeing to a $ 900 billion relief plan with $ 600 in direct payments after months of pushing several multibillion-dollar proposals. dollars that would have set the payments at twice that amount.
The second stimulus
Answers to your questions on the stimulus bill
Updated 23 Dec 2020
Lawmakers agreed to a plan to issue stimulus payments of $ 600 and distribute federal unemployment benefit of $ 300 for 11 weeks. You can read more about the bill and what’s in store for you here.
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- Will I receive another incentive payment? Adult individuals whose adjusted gross income on their 2019 tax return did not exceed $ 75,000 per year would receive a payment of $ 600, and heads of household earning up to $ 112,500 and a couple (or a person whose spouse is deceased in 2020) earning up to 150,000 get double that amount. If they have dependent children, they would also receive $ 600 for each child. People with incomes just above these levels would receive a partial payment that would decrease by $ 5 for every $ 100 of income.
- When can my payment arrive? Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC he expected the first payments to be made before the end of the year. But it will be some time before everyone who qualifies gets their money.
- Does the agreement affect unemployment insurance? Lawmakers have agreed to extend the period during which people can collect unemployment benefits and to restart an additional federal benefit that is provided in addition to the usual state benefit. But instead of $ 600 per week, it would be $ 300. This would last until March 14.
- I’m late on my rent or plan to be soon. Will I receive relief? The deal would provide $ 25 billion for distribution by state and local governments to help tenants who have fallen behind. To receive assistance, households would have to meet several conditions: Household income (for 2020) cannot exceed more than 80% of the median income of the area; at least one household member must be at risk of homelessness or housing instability; and individuals must be eligible for unemployment benefits or have experienced financial hardship – directly or indirectly – as a result of the pandemic. The accord said aid would be a priority for families with low incomes and who have been unemployed for three months or more.
While the House is set to meet on Christmas Eve in a so-called pro forma session – typically a brief meeting that requires a lawmaker to be present and lasts a few minutes – Democrats plan to introduce a stand-alone bill that would provide $ 2,000 in direct payments to American families and ensure that the omnibus is signed. If that request fails without unanimous consent, Democrats plan to officially put the bill to a vote on Monday, according to two people familiar with the plans.