Staff report
National news outlets are reporting that President Donald Trump has signed the $900 billion ‘pandemic relief’ bill, ending his refusal to accept it and delivering relief to businesses and individuals who are suffering during the pandemic.
The bill was delivered to him at Mar-a-Lago where he is vacationing.
The bill also includes $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September — and averts a federal government shutdown.
President Trump (White House Facebook page)
The President issued a statement that expresssed his frustrations with the relief for including only $600 checks to individuals instead of the $2000 he asked for after the bipartisan bill was approved by Congress.
“I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed,” he said in the statement.
Both Republicans and Democrats welcomed Trump’s decision to sign the bill.
“The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do an enormous amount of good for struggling Kentuckians and Americans across the country who need help now,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “I thank the President for signing this relief into law.”
Besides unemployment benefits and relief payments to families, money for vaccine distribution, businesses, public transit systems, eviction protection and more was on the line.
“I applaud President Trump’s decision to get hundreds of billions of dollars of crucial COVID-19 relief out the door and into the hands of American families as quickly as possible,” said McConnell in a statement.
“The bipartisan rescue package that Republicans in Congress and the Trump Administration negotiated with the Democrats will extend another major lifeline to workers at struggling small businesses, renew major relief for laid-off Americans, invest billions more in vaccine distribution, send cash directly to households, and more. The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do an enormous amount of good for struggling Kentuckians and Americans across the country who need help now.
“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.
“I am glad the American people will receive this much-needed assistance as our nation continues battling this pandemic.”
