Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thanked President Donald Trump for signing the coronavirus relief bill late Sunday after he earlier threatened to veto it.
“I applaud the President’s decision to get billions of dollars of crucial COVID-19 relief out the door and into the hands of American families,” the Kentucky Republican wrote in a tweet. “I am glad the American people will receive this much-needed assistance as our nation continues battling this pandemic."
Trump signed the $2.3 trillion package, which includes an omnibus bill that funds the government, Sunday night while on vacation in Florida in time to prevent a government shutdown, although hours after unemployment benefits had expired for millions, according to The Hill.
The president had indicated last week he would not sign the bill unless its $600 direct payments to Americans was increased to $2,000, but instead said upon signing that he would return a "redlined" version of the bill to Congress with some items to remove.
The House is scheduled to vote Monday on a separate bill to increase those payments to $2,000. The plan has the support of the Democrat leadership, but the increase is unlikely to get the necessary backing of enough Republicans in the GOP-controlled Senate to pass.
McConnell, in his full statement released to the press, said “I thank the President for signing this relief into law, along with full-year government funding legislation that will continue the rebuilding and modernization of our Armed Forces that his Administration has championed. His leadership has prevented a government shutdown at a time when our nation could not have afforded one.”
The Senate majority leader, however, did not did not address the proposed direct-payment increase in his statement.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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