(Bloomberg) — A surprise scuffle over pandemic relief is set to run up against a crucial federal funding deadline next week as Democrats side with President Donald Trump in his demand for $2,…
By Billy House| Bloomberg A surprise scuffle over pandemic relief is set to run up against a crucial federal funding deadline next week as Democrats side with President Donald Trump in his demand for $2,000 payments to most Americans and Republicans take up his criticism of government spending. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning a full floor vote Monday on pandemic aid that includes the $2,000 payments that Trump says he wants, replacing the $600 in the original legislation. Republicans blocked Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s attempt to make that switch on Thursday. Trump renewed his insistence Friday on the larger sum while spending Christmas at his Mar-a-Lago resort, temporarily finding common cause with Pelosi as she maneuvers a vote that will force Republicans to accept the bigger payments or break with Trump. But unlike the speaker, Trump didn’t call attention to the fact that it was GOP lawmakers who had balked at spending more. “Why would politicians not want to give people $2000, rather than only $600?” Trump said in a tweet. “Give our people the money!” He returned to Twitter Saturday morning with similar comments, adding “stop the billions of dollars in ‘pork.’” Pelosi pinned the blame on the GOP on Thursday after the failure of an initial gambit to pivot to $2,000 checks as part of the Covid-relief package. “House and Senate Democrats have repeatedly fought for bigger checks for the American people, which House and Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected – first, during our negotiations when they said that they would not go above $600 and now, with this act of callousness on the Floor,” Pelosi said in a statement.
