Trump Signs
Coronavirus Relief Bill, After Days of Delay .
President Donald Trump signed the massive
$2.3 trillion legislation at the eleventh hour.
avoiding a government shutdown and
extending additional unemployment
benefits that had lapsed during the delay.
Congress approved the bipartisan legislation on Monday.
$900 billion of the $2.3 trillion is earmarked
specifically for a number of COVID relief programs.
The remaining portion of the bill is
intended to fund the government at large.
While the passage of the bill was veto-proof,
Trump's refusal to sign the legislation for
nearly a week has several significant implications.
Notably, pandemic unemployment assistance
recipients will not receive a week of payments
due to the lapse of the program on the 26th.
Nearly 12 million Americans are currently receiving
some form of federal unemployment assistance.
Also, when Americans will receive the
$600 stimulus checks is now in question.
Trump's Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin initially
stated direct deposits would begin to hit
bank accounts as early as this week. .
Trump stated his refusal to sign the bill was due
to the dollar amount of the stimulus checks, which
he says he wanted raised to $2000 per individual.
The Democrat-led House of Representatives
will vote for the second time on Monday
to expand the stimulus payments.
The first bid to expand payments was
rejected by Republicans on Thursday