Sanders: Trump 'diddling around' on relief bill is 'unbelievably cruel'

Bernie Sanders.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/ABC)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) doesn't often agree with President Trump, but the two are in line when it comes to Americans receiving $2,000 stimulus checks rather than the $600 agreed upon in Congress' bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill, which has been awaiting Trump's signature. Yet while Sanders may be on board with the substance, he's not a fan of how Trump is conducting business.

The senator said the fact Trump is "diddling around" and refusing to sign the bill into law is "unbelievably cruel" since it means enhanced unemployment benefits and eviction moratoriums could expire should the government shut down Tuesday. Sanders thinks Trump ought to give the package his approval right away and "then immediately Monday, Tuesday we can pass a $2,000 direct payment for the working families of this country."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.