Trump demands bigger stimulus checks in COVID-19 relief package

President Donald Trump urged for an increase in amount for stimulus packages Tuesday, calling the current bill a “disgrace” to the American people.

“It’s called the COVID relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID,” Trump stated in a Twitter video. “I’m asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple.”

The package Trump refuses to sign until revisions are made includes stimulus checks of up to $600 for people who earn less than $75,000 per year (or married couples earning up to $150,000), an additional $600 per dependent child under 18, $300 per week extension of unemployment insurance and federal unemployment insurance, more than $286 billion in loans for businesses that need to pay rent and staff, $69 billion in testing and vaccine distribution funds and $82 billion in funding for colleges and schools. The bill also included a legislative priority for the entertainment industry, which will bump up the penalty for operating a for-profit illegal streaming service from a misdemeanor to a felony.

The $900 billion COVID-19 relief deal that Congress approved after months of negotiations is one bill among many included in the $2.3 trillion year-end government funding package. Along with the COVID-19 relief stimulus bill, the package includes a $1.4 trillion omnibus bill which will fund defense spending and domestic programs, The Hill reports.

After an excerpt of the spending package referring to foreign aid for Israel started circulating online, journalists from Tablet Mag, MSNBC and others reported the foreign aid is part of the year-end funding package but is not part of the COVID-19 stimulus package.