Congress voted Monday to authorize a second round of stimulus payments to households as part of its roughly $900 billion coronavirus relief legislation. President Trump had been expected to sign the legislation, but he criticized the deal Tuesday night and called on lawmakers to increase direct payments to Americans to $2,000 from $600. Here is what we know:
Will President Trump veto the legislation?
“I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple,” Mr. Trump said in a tweeted video Tuesday night. The White House hasn’t said what Mr. Trump will do if Congress doesn’t meet that request. Some of the president’s aides said they viewed his resistance more as the president voicing his displeasure with the bill than an actual veto threat.
Will the second stimulus payments be delayed?
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday that the first batch of payments could go out at the beginning of next week. As of Wednesday, Treasury staff were still working to meet that time frame, and the department believes it can get money out the door quickly if a relief bill is signed into law by the president. But if Mr. Trump vetoes the legislation, which passed both chambers by veto-proof margins, Congress would need to either pass a new bill to meet his demand for larger stimulus checks or vote to override his veto. Most lawmakers left Washington for the holidays after the bill’s passage. If Mr. Trump doesn’t sign or veto the bill within 10 days after it is passed, it would become law without his signature, and the government could begin sending out checks.
Source: WSJ
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