Millions of Americans fighting the financial crisis of the corona virus epidemic lost their unemployment benefits on Sunday Donald Trump He continued to refuse to sign the relief package agreed in Congress and instead went to the golf course.
The president’s militancy over the bipartisan Govt relief and spending bill, which has extended benefits and provided direct cash payments to most American families, has angered senior Republicans, accusing Trump of causing more suffering on citizens.
In response to Trump’s claim that he would only sign the relief package, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan told CNN State of the Union. $ 2,000 in direct payments $ 600 agreed instead.
“The payroll protection plan was completed in July. Tomorrow, the unemployment benefits are exhausted. So sign the bill and do it. Then, if the president wants to do more, we will finish it.”
Hogan, who appeared later this week on ABC, stressed that “millions of Americans will be affected.”
Trump, who spends the Christmas and New Year holidays at his Mar-e-Lago resort in Florida, has objected to the $ 900 billion relief bill since it was passed by Congress last week, after talks with his own Treasury Secretary Steven Munuch. .
The bill has not been signed at his desk since Christmas, and the president, who has been quiet in intensive negotiations for weeks, spent the weekend at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach.
In a tweet criticizing the bill, Trump said it was filled, without clarification.Billions of dollars in pork”.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden, who won the November presidential election, will take over as Trump’s successor on January 20. He is a “Abandonment of responsibilityIn a statement on Saturday.
Democrats in the House of Representatives will try again on Monday to break the deadlock by voting to increase the amount of direct payments. The House had already been overthrown by the Republicans On Christmas Eve.
“On Monday we will hold a vote on our separate bill to increase the economic impact payments to $ 2,000,” Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement after the first attempt failed.
“To vote against this bill is to deny the financial crisis facing families and to deny them the relief they need.”
It holds 4 1.4tn fiscal bill linked to the denial of aid to long-suffering Americans and Trump’s refusal to sign the package, which could result in a U.S. government strike early Tuesday amid a deadly epidemic More than 332,000 were killed in the United States.
Financial experts say the burden on American families will worsen. Lauren Boyer, a partner in economic research at the Brookings Institution, estimates that 11 million people will lose immediate assistance when the two unemployment programs expire, and that millions more will settle other unemployment benefits within weeks.
Andrew Stetner, an unemployment insurance expert and senior associate of the Century Foundation, said the figure could rise to more than 14 million as unemployment has risen since late November.
“All of these people and their families will be affected if Trump does not sign the bad bill,” said Heidi Shearholes, policy director for the Liberal Economic Policy Institute. Said in a tweet.
About 9.5 million people rely on the Infectious Unemployment Assistance Program, which expired on Sunday. The program made unemployment insurance available to individuals, kick workers and others who are generally ineligible.
Even if Trump withdraws, the expiration of the plans will cause delays in the process of repayment, which will increase the financial burden on many.
Hogan predicted this week on ABC that more Republicans would be ready to stand in support of Trump over the relief bill, knowing that the end of his administration and Biden’s inauguration was only 24 days away.
“I think more and more, and will,” he said. “After January 20 he’s going to be very different. He’s not as influential as he is now.”
Relief bill fights have come as the corona virus epidemic continues to worsen in the United States, with medical experts predicting dark days ahead with Biden.
“In terms of Christmas, New Year, Rise, we can see the post-season well,” Dr. Anthony Fossi, head of American Epidemiology, told CNN on Sunday.
“With 200,000 new cases a day and about 2,000 deaths a day in more than 120,000 hospitals, we are at a critical juncture. You see people queuing at airports, trying to stay physically separated, but it’s very difficult to do.
“It’s generally followed. When people come to where they want to be, you’m going to mix people at home for a dinner or a social event. It’s going to happen, no matter how much we advise against it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
