Trump is holding out on supporting the $908 billion COVID-19 stimulus bill despite more lawmakers rallying round it
Getty/Chip Somodevilla
- President Trump does not back the $908 billion COVID-19 stimulus bill, a compromise measure that is gaining momentum with GOP senators as well as leading Democrats.
- The White House clarified his stance on Thursday after a press conference in which he voiced support for a stimulus plan without being totally clear which one.
- Officials said Trump backs the Republican proposal for a smaller stimulus, favored by Mitch McConnell, according to reports.
- McConnell has called for bipartisanship, but has stuck to his own proposal, which is more limited.
- Trump's signature is needed to pass any bill into law, but the real power broker on the GOP side since the election appears to be McConnell, who is leading the negotiations.
- Lawmakers have little time to hammer out the details. They also, separately, have a looming government shutdown to content with.
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President Donald Trump does not support the $908 billion compromise COVID-19 stimulus bill, presenting a significant barrier event as it gains momentum with lawmakers.
The plan, written by a group of lawmakers from both parties, has gained support from leading Democrats and some GOP senators as pressure builds to provide a second round of relief in the pandemic.
It stands in contrast to a much more restrictive bill preferred by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is leading the negotiations from the GOP side.
Trump appeared to offer some hope on Thursday, but his officials later poured cold water on the idea that he could be brought to accept the $908 billion plan.
Asked whether he supports "this bill" at a press conference Thursday, Trump said: "I will, and I think we are getting very close," according to The New York Times and The Washington Post.
But it wasn't clear which bill he meant. The White House later clarified that he meant McConnell's bill rather than the bipartisan one.
Several Republican senators, including John Cornyn from Texas and Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, signaled their backing for the bipartisan bill on Thursday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave it their support on Wednesday.
Trump has largely stepped back from the details of the stimulus negotiations since the election, handing the reins to McConnell. While calling for bipartisanship, McConnell still suggested Wednesday in a statement that his bill was the only viable contender, arguing that Trump would veto anything else.
A GOP bill very similar to McConnell's more recent proposal has already failed to pass twice this year.
White House spokesperson Sarah Matthews told Business Insider on Thursday that the Trump administration is "supportive" of McConnell's efforts, but did not give more specifics.
At $908 billion, the bipartisan bill exceeds what McConnell has been willing to commit to. But it represents a massive compromise compared with the Democratic Party's initial demand for $2.2 trillion.
The two bills have some key differences:
- The $908 billion stimulus package proposes support for small business loans, state and local government, education, unemployment insurance, healthcare, and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- McConnell's package is said to omit federal unemployment benefits, but has provision for education, small business, and pandemic-related liability protections for businesses.
Neither bill includes another round of $1,200 checks, a popular measure from April's first pandemic stimulus.
Before the election, Trump had also made several calls for a generous package, at times saying he'd seek to go bigger than the Democrats had asked.
But as Business Insider's Joseph Zeballos-Roig has noted, Trump's influence over the GOP relief negotiations may have significantly shrunk since his election loss became clear.
President-elect Joe Biden told CNN on Thursday that he backed the bill as a stopgap measure. He said that when he assumes the presidency he is "going to have to ask for more help." While his words have weight, he has no formal influence over the process before taking office.
Time is running short as coronavirus case numbers and deaths continue to spiral.
As well as agreeing a stimulus deal, Congress has to contend with a looming government shutdown, which will kick in on December 11 unless averted.
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