News

Trump says he’s directed $3,400 checks to be disbursed to Americans, but Dems are ‘holding this up’

August 15, 2020 | | Print Article

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE.

President Donald Trump revealed he is “ready to send” more economic stimulus relief to Americans but accused Democrats of holding things up.

The president repeatedly noted that Democrats “are holding this up” in several tweets on Friday and during a press briefing, announcing that he had directed the Treasury Department to ready another round of stimulus checks for Americans and that he is standing by to sign a coronavirus relief bill.


(Source: Fox News)

Trump told reporters at a White House press briefing on Friday that he had directed Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to “get ready” to provide “direct payments” in which a family of four could receive up to $3,400, made up of payments equaling $1,200 for adults and $500 for each child.

“Democrats are holding this up,” he added, going on to read from a list of other actions he said he is ready to move on, awaiting Democrats to agree with their Republican colleagues in Congress in ongoing negotiations that have stalled over the next relief package.

The president also shared his intentions in several tweets that echoed his remarks at the briefing.

“I have directed @stevenmnuchin1 to get ready to send direct payments ($3,400 for family of four) to all Americans,” Trump wrote. “DEMOCRATS ARE HOLDING THIS UP!”

Trump also announced that he is ready to ask the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration to reopen the Paycheck Protection Program to help “small businesses that have been hurt by the ChinaVirus.”

The president indicated, both in the press conference and on Twitter, that the Democrats are also holding up his plan to send rental assistance to Americans affected by the pandemic and the local government-imposed lockdowns. Additionally, Trump said he is ready to send $105 billion in relief funding to the states to help safely reopen schools.

“It’s all ready to go. Democrats are holding it up,” the president told reporters Friday, noting that he is also standing by to send relief funding to state and local governments in order to assist teachers, first responders, law enforcement and firefighters.

Congress has clashed over the next coronavirus stimulus bill, with talks hitting a stalemate after multiple attempts to bridge the divide over the size of the package and how state and local governments will spend the allotted funds.

Republicans have proposed a $1 trillion package and have rejected a push by Democrats for almost $1 trillion in state and local aid in their initial proposal for a $3.4 trillion package. Though there have been talks of some compromise ideas being floated, the stalled talks resulted in the expiration of some parts of previous bills, including the $600 weekly unemployment payments and eviction protections.

With lawmakers now on recess breaks and with Democrats declaring they would not be willing to resume talks with Republicans unless they agree to a compromise of $2 trillion in relief, it appears the impasse in Congress may continue into the next month, even as some states continue to resist demands by residents to open things back up.

Last week, in an effort to get needed help to hurting Americans, the president signed a series of executive orders, deferring student loan payments through the rest of 2020, extending federal protections from evictions and suspending some payroll taxes. He also approved a $400 weekly unemployment supplement to replace the previous $600 payment that had expired in July.

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

$10
$15
$25
$50
Other
$
Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Frieda Powers
Latest posts by Frieda Powers (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles