Biden calls for more stimulus; Trump slams Bill as a 'disgrace'
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The package would be the second-largest economic stimulus in US history.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WILMINGTON (Delaware) • United States President-elect Joe Biden has called Congress' approval of a hard-fought US$900 billion (S$1.2 trillion) stimulus package a "down payment" and vowed to enter office next month asking lawmakers to return to the negotiating table.
"Congress did its job this week," he said on Tuesday, "and I can and I must ask them to do it again next year."
In a year-end news conference in Wilmington, Delaware, Mr Biden remained vague about the specifics of his plan.
But he appeared to be laying the groundwork for how he will handle the country's economic recovery.
He said that his Bill would include a new round of stimulus cheques for Americans, but that the amount of money they contained would be a matter of negotiation.
His focus, he said, was to have the money necessary to distribute vaccines to 300 million people, to support Americans who have lost jobs because of the pandemic, and to help businesses stay open.
Said Mr Biden: "People are desperately hurting."
US President Donald Trump also responded to the Bill on Tuesday, hours after Mr Biden's news conference. In a video he posted on Twitter, Mr Trump read from a prepared statement and complained about the legislation his advisers had said he would sign.
"I'm asking Congress to amend this Bill and increase the ridiculously low US$600 to US$2,000, or US$4,000 for a couple," he said, calling the Bill "a disgrace".
"It's called the Covid relief Bill, but it has almost nothing to do with Covid," Mr Trump said, noting that it included funding for the Egyptian military and money for countries like Honduras and Nicaragua.
If Mr Trump chooses not to immediately sign the Bill, the government will still be funded through Monday, and Republicans have enough votes that they could override a potential veto. But the cheques that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had said would go out next week could be delayed.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quickly seized on Mr Trump's call for US$2,000 in individual stimulus payments and said the House would try to pass this additional measure during a pro forma session today, a move that could be blocked by a single member of Congress.
NYTIMES, BLOOMBERG
