The White House, meanwhile, did not answer questions about the legislation.
“Complete clusterf —”, summed up an important Republican Hill advisor.
The whole episode frustrated some ordinary Republicans, who exposed their complaints during the private call, the sources said. Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska complained that Trump put Republicans under the “bus”, while Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina said they must have members on TV to clarify the legislation.
The repercussions of inaction can be dramatic. If White House lawmakers and advisers fail to convince the president to sign a Covid financing and aid package by Monday, the government will enter the fourth standstill of the Trump presidency. And millions of Americans have been told to expect another round of direct government payments soon, while companies across the country expected more financial assistance.
Still, Trump left the city on Wednesday afternoon without saying a word about the bill, leaving for his resort in Mar-a-Lago in South Florida, where he plans to stay during the new year. And nobody seems to know what will happen next.
On Wednesday night, House Democrats held a conference call, outlining a plan for the next few days that includes an attempt to approve $ 2,000 direct stimulus checks for Americans through unanimous consent on Thursday. Democrats expect at least one Republican to reject him, which would block the effort.
They are also considering a provisional spending bill that would finance the government until the next Congress, preventing closure.
The sudden limbo reflects how Trump combatively approached his last days in office. Trump’s main objective, said those close to the president and the White House, is to get attention and send a message to his base that he supports Americans more than Congress, while planning a run for re-election in 2024. And, in a way, the Republican Party’s strong support for the project gave Trump little reason to publicly support him. It is hoped that the measure will eventually become law, whether with the cession of Trump, Congress overturning the veto or the entry of President-elect Joe Biden.
“It sends a signal that he wants to help people more,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally, while adding that Trump’s threat over Covid’s relief and the bill Government funding “does not help”, saying it expects the president to sign the bill after presenting his point of view.
Trump can choose that path. Two people close to the president said it was unlikely that the president would veto the bill and bring the government to a standstill because he did not want to delay funding for the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, which he considers one of his greatest achievements. It would not be the first time that Trump would threaten to veto the legislation before signing it: in 2018, Trump approved a $ 1.3 trillion spending account, despite saying he was “unhappy” with it.
However, a former Trump adviser who remains close to the White House said that no one should be surprised by the president’s demands, noting that Trump has been calling for greater stimulus checks for Americans for months in statements and on Twitter.
“Why is everyone surprised? They did not meet their expectations, ”said the former adviser. “Ultimately, he is fighting for people. He is on the side of history and on the side of the American people. None of this is bad for him. “
In recent weeks, Trump has shown no qualms about trying to position himself in the best political position for his post-presidency, even if it means suspending legislation that his own party supports and attacking Congressional allies, such as Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R- Ky.).
Trump made a similar veto threat earlier this month for the annual defense policy bill, which was also passed with broad Republican support. On Wednesday, he went ahead and vetoed the bill, opening up a confrontation with lawmakers.
The last-minute Covid stimulus demands of Trump – who has been concerned with fighting election results, leaving Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to negotiate the long-delayed bailout – put Republicans in a particularly dire situation difficult. In addition to the confusion it caused on Capitol Hill, the move also complicated Republican pressure to win two runoff runs in Georgia next month, which will decide the majority in the Senate.
At the heart of Trump’s objections appears to be the $ 600 in direct payments that the account was set to send to many Americans.
Trump said publicly and privately that he wanted direct payments to be higher, but he said not they say he was not willing to accept the $ 600 checks. In fact, he said he would sign the bill, which Deputy White House press secretary Brian Morgenstern reiterated to reporters on Tuesday.
Hours later, Trump released a five-minute video that he recorded in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House residence, surprising many of his aides. He did not threaten to veto the bill, but he expressed discontent. Trump also complained about spending levels as he previously approved and even requested.
“I am asking Congress to amend this bill and raise the ridiculously low $ 600 to $ 2,000,” he said. “I am also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the useless and useless items of this legislation or to send me an appropriate bill.”
But there is not much of an appetite at the GOP for the $ 2,000 stimulus checks that Trump is now asking for.
“It’s a really silly, left-wing and socialist idea to distribute free money to people, so I separate from the president to give people free money,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Who wants Trump to veto the bill for tax reasons, said Wednesday on Fox News.
Meanwhile, Democrats – who have been pushing for higher controls all the time – could make life even more painful for the Republican Party in the coming days.
“Just when you think you saw it all last night, the president said he would possibly veto the bicameral deal negotiated between Republicans and Democrats,” said spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi in a letter “Dear Colleague” distributed to Democrats. “If the president really wants to join us in payments of $ 2,000, he must appeal [House Minority Leader Kevin] McCarthy agrees with our request for unanimous consent. “
During Wednesday’s conference call, McCarthy made it clear that the effort would be rejected by the Republican Party as a coup. And last week, Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) Twice interrupted a Sens effort. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) And Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) To provide $ 1,200 in stimulus checks.
A last-minute veto could also have implications for Georgia’s runoff on January 5. McConnell had promised the Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue that the chamber would not leave for Christmas without a deal, and the two senators began to publicize the stimulus package in their campaigns this week.
Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, who is challenging Loeffler, say they agree with Trump’s pressure for higher payouts and are seizing the moment to hammer at their opponents. Pressed on Trump’s demand on Wednesday, Loeffler said at a campaign event that “he would certainly try to support him if it redefined unnecessary spending.”
“Trump put Loeffler and Perdue in an impossible situation repeatedly throughout the second round. And this is just the last chapter of the humiliation book in which he turned them into characters,” said a Republican Georgian strategist. “What do they do? Do they challenge the president and stick to what they said or do they look like weak puppets without a backbone again?”
While Democrats across the political spectrum have gathered around Trump’s calls for more stimulus money, they have also made it clear that they do not want him to veto the package, which also includes improved unemployment benefits, help for small businesses and financing for distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. To increase the sense of urgency, a series of pandemic-related aid programs are scheduled to expire on December 26.
Hill sources warned that it is too early to throw away what Congress can do if Trump refuses to sign the expanding bill.
If Trump blows up the bill, Congressional options include trying to renegotiate the aid package, approving another short-term financing patch, or let Trump take credit for a government shutdown and release the aid package under the Biden government.
They could also overturn a veto, as long as it is not a partial veto, which allows the president to simply delay signing a bill while Congress postpones.
But these are the worst-case scenarios that leaders have worked hard to avoid. In fact, during a meeting on the relief bill with the “big four” congressional leaders, Pelosi repeatedly pressured Mnuchin – who was connected via speakerphone – to Trump’s position on stimulus checks.
After four unanswered times, Pelosi said, “Come on Steven!”
James Arkin, Heather Caygle, Caitlin Emma and Quint Forgey contributed to this report.