Second Stimulus Check Update: Trump Finally Signs COVID-19 Relief Bill

KEY POINTS

Trump signed the $900 billion relief bill while vacationing in Florida
The bill would provide $600 stimulus checks to Americans
The bipartisan legislation would also extend $300 weekly unemployment benefits until March 14, 2021

President Donald Trump, on Sunday evening, signed the $900 billion stimulus bill into law, a week after he posted an unusual video where he called the bipartisan bill a “disgrace.”

Trump teased “good news” on Twitter an hour before he signed the coronavirus stimulus legislation. The signing comes a week after the House and Senate passed the 5,600-page bill.

“Good news on Covid Relief Bill. Information to follow!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump’s new decision to sign the measure took place while he was on vacation in Palm Beach, Florida. Sources with knowledge of the decision told The Washington Post that the president had repeatedly changed his mind.

It is unclear what prompted Trump to sign the bill less than a week after he referred to it as a “disgrace” and urged Congress to make specific changes, including increasing the amount of stimulus checks to $2,000.

“A few months ago, Congress started negotiations on a new package to get urgently needed help to the American people. It’s taken forever. However, the bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated. It really is a disgrace. I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple,” Trump said in the video.

The new $900 bill bipartisan bill would provide millions of Americans earning up to $75,000 per year $600 stimulus checks and an additional $600 per child dependent. The first round of direct payments from March’s CARES Act provided eligible adults $1,200 and child dependents $500.

The bill would also provide jobless Americans $300 per week in federal unemployment insurance. The benefits would last for 11 weeks until March 14, 2021.

The bipartisan legislation would add $284 billion to the government’s paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses cover employee wages and prevent layoffs. Businesses such as nonprofit organizations, restaurants and live venues are expected to receive targeted aid.

The $900 billion proposal would also provide $16 billion for the development and distribution of coronavirus vaccines, and provide funding for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.