Washington, December 28: United States President Donald Trump signed  the COVID-19 relief bill, to help millions of Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic. After signing the much-awaited bill, Trump said that he signed this bill to restore unemployment benefits, add money for PPP among other things. "I'm signing this bill to restore unemployment benefits...add money for PPP, return our airline workers back to work, add substantially more money for vaccine distribution, &much more", a statement from US President said. The Bill was important for Americans as the federal government would shut down on Tuesday if Trump didn't sign the 2.3-trillion spending package into law before then. 'Christmas Miracle': US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Laud Scientists, Researchers for Developing COVID-19 Vaccine.

Earlier, Trump had refused to sign the COVID-19 relief bill, saying the $600 stimulus payment to most Americans was not enough as he asked Congress to increase the amount to $2,000. The US President had posted a video on Twitter on December 22, saying that the bill delivered too much money to foreign countries, but not enough to Americans. “A few months ago, Congress started negotiations on a new package to get urgently needed help to the American people. It’s taken forever. However, the bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated. It really is a disgrace,” he said. US President Donald Trump Made Lasting Impact on Federal Courts.

COVID-19 relief bill

On December 21, the US Congress passed the $900 billion pandemic relief bill to provide cash to businesses and individuals, and resources for vaccination amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic. In short, the relief package includes another round of direct payments for individuals, and more funding for Paycheck Protection Program to support small businesses, as well as more funding for schools, testing and the distribution of vaccines.

The bill went to President Trump for his signature. Trump, had said, “I am also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items in this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package. And maybe that administration will be me, and we will get it done”. This proposal was immediately supported by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In America, millions of jobless people were set to lose their federal unemployment benefits if Trump failed to sign the US $900 billion COVID-19 relief package by midnight Saturday. If the package had been enacted, it would have extended federal unemployment benefits by 300 dollars each week for existing recipients through mid-March. According to reports, more than 12 million people on two pandemic aid programs would lose unemployment benefits for the final week of the year after the presidency missed the midnight Saturday deadline.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2020 08:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).