|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
U.S. Politics – December 27, 2020
TrueNewsBlog – TNB
By: Nathaniel Ballantyne
(TrueNewsBlog) – The President’ Aides told TrueNewsBlog that they have been working hard trying to get him to reverse his stance on the Covid-19 relief bill, but President Trump is sitting comfortably at his Mar-a-Largo resort in Palm Beach counting down the minutes until the Government shutdown. He refused to sign the Covid-19 relief package on the grounds that the American people deserves at least $2,000. No one can and will argue about getting more money, but Congress has already negotiated the bill and Trump’s failure to sign it could resolve in catastrophe for many Americans who are waiting for the relief. Unemployment benefits have already run out and over 11 million Americans are at the risk of losing their apartments as the moratorium on eviction comes to an end.
President Trump issued several tweets about the matter, but tweets will not help the American people. At 12:38 a.m.: “Increase payments to the people, get rid of the ‘pork’.” … at 12:36 a.m., linking to his video in which he announced his gripes with the bill: “Speaking for America!” … at 9:56 p.m.: “$2000 + $2000 plus other family members. Not $600. Remember, it was China’s fault!” … at 9:10 a.m. Saturday: “I simply want to get our great people $2000, rather than the measly $600 that is now in the bill. Also, stop the billions of dollars in ‘pork’.”
This may be the least logical fight of Trump’s presidency. In the past, he turned on Congress when they ignored him and when they left out money he requested for his border wall. In this deal, he waited until after the bill was negotiated to call for individual payment of $2,000 and threatens to veto the bill unless Congress reconsider. Democrats obviously support more money to Americans, but Republicans seemingly concern about budget deficit oppose more money. The question is whether Trump is sincere or simply playing politics. President-Elect JOE BIDENcriticized TRUMPon Saturday in a statement for his refusal to sign the Covid relief and government funding bill calling it an “abdication of responsibility.”
ON IF THEY HAVE THE VOTES FOR A VETO OVERRIDE: “Well, I think we’ll find out pretty soon. This legislation has been passed by Congress every year for I think about 60 years running. It’s when signed by presidents. I think it does put the right priorities behind our defense policy and it passed both houses with huge overwhelming votes. But we’ll see. That’s why you have the vote.”
— ON TRUMP’S PARDONS: TOOMEY said he agreed with MIKE FLYNN getting pardoned, but said in “some of these other cases, my goodness, we have tax fraud and bank fraud, witness tampering, obstruction of justice, but because they were close to the president they got pardoned.”
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.), who has been pushing for $2,000 direct payment checks, told JONATHAN KARL on ABC’S “THIS WEEK” that he hadn’t heard “a word” from TRUMP about the issue while they were negotiating the deal and that “everybody assumed, everybody, that Mnuchin was representing the White House.”
-ON IF BIDEN’S CABINET PICKS ARE PROGRESSIVE ENOUGH: “Well, what I have said many, many times is the progressive movement itself probably is 35 or 40 percent of the Democratic Coalition. And I believe that the progressive movement deserves seats in the Cabinet, that has not yet happened.
“So I would like to see strong progressives in the administration who are going to stand up for the working families of this country, who believe that health care is a human right, who believe we’ve got to make sure that public colleges and universities are tuition free and that we have to be aggressive on issues like climate change, racial injustice, immigration reform.”
KARL also interviewed Maryland Republican Gov. LARRY HOGAN and asked him why more Republicans aren’t standing up to the president. HOGAN: “Well, I think more and more are and will. And I can tell you, there’s an awful lot of concern right now. I mean, Republicans were put in this position, a lot of them came to support this bill even though they didn’t like everything that was in it, even though perhaps it didn’t have all the things we needed in it. …
“And if the president wants to come up with more money to help more people, terrific. Let’s sign this bill now so we can start getting our unemployment benefits out right away, and then quickly pass another bill.”
ALSO WORTH WATCHING: REP.-ELECTS CORI BUSH of Missouri and JAMAAL BOWMAN of New York would not tell DANA BASH on CNN whether they would back NANCY PELOSI for Speaker.
