Trump Signs COVID-19 Relief Bill After Initial Refusal

President Donald Trump signed the massive coronavirus relief bill and government relief package into law on Sunday despite his initial comment suggesting he would veto the bill.

After receiving the bill, Trump chose to blow past a Saturday deadline, preventing the loss of jobless aid to about 14 million Americans through the relief bill.

He refused to sign the relief bill days after receiving it, said a report from CNBC. In total, the package amounts to $2.3 trillion with $1.4 trillion government spending and the rest allotted to coronavirus relief.

The Associated Press reported that Trump's refusal and the delay was because he wanted the bill to be revised to include larger relief checks and scaled back spending.

But the House and Senate were blindsided by this decision because the bill was already passed by large margins and believed to have support from the president.

This move from Trump prevented an impending government shutdown on Monday, said a report from CBS News.

In a statement, the president reiterated that he signed the bill to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and more.

Jobless Aid to Be Delayed by A Week

The signed bill will guarantee jobless benefits extension into March. But since there was a delay, millions will lag on benefits by a week.

The delay received disapproval from several members of Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders said the president was being "unbelievably cruel."

He added that the president should "do the right thing" for the American people. Meanwhile, Sen. Pat Toomey understood Trump's advocacy for the big checks but warned about the misery that would occur as jobless aid expired.

Trump Calls Relief Bill A 'Disgrace'

On Tuesday night, after Congress approved the relief bill, Trump called it a "disgrace."

He pushed for a much larger $2,000 check for direct payments, which is more than thrice the approved amount.

The president said in his statement that he would be sending back a "redlined" version of the bill that showed what he considered unnecessary funding. He also promised a $2,000 relief check for adults and $600 for children.