Sanders: Trump 'diddling around' on relief bill is 'unbelievably cruel'
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
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."
Sanders, who has been pushing for larger stimulus checks along with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) for some time, said he didn't hear "a word" from the White House negotiating team about Trump's preference, which led him to figure Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's plan was representative of the president's. Tim O'Donnell
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
The plan to wall off the ‘Doomsday’ glacierUnder the Radar Massive barrier could ‘slow the rate of ice loss’ from Thwaites Glacier, whose total collapse would have devastating consequences
-
Trump’s fuel blockade puts Cuba in crisis modeIN THE SPOTLIGHT Plummeting tourism, scrambling airlines and rolling blackouts are pushing Cuban society to the brink
-
‘The mark’s significance is psychological, if that’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
