Bill is a Disgrace
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2020
Partial Transcript
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.
For example, among the more than 5,000 pages in this bill, which nobody in Congress has read because of its length and complexity, it’s called the COVID Relief Bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID. This bill contains $85.5 million for assistance to Cambodia, $134 million to Burma, $1.3 billion for Egypt and the Egyptian military, which will go out and buy almost exclusively Russian military equipment. $25 million for democracy and gender programs in Pakistan, $505 million to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. $40 million for the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, which is not even open for business. $1 billion for the Smithsonian and an additional $154 million for the National Gallery of Art. Likewise, these facilities are essentially not open.
$7 million for reef fish management, $25 billion to combat Asian carp, $2.5 million to count the number of amberjack fish in the Gulf of Mexico. A provision to promote the breeding of fish in federal hatcheries, $3 million in poultry production technology, $2 million to research the impact of down trees, $566 million for construction projects at the FBI.
The bill also allows stimulus checks for the family members of illegal aliens, allowing them to get up to $1,800 each. This is far more than the Americans are given.
Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries, lobbyists and special interests while sending the bare minimum to the American people who need it. It wasn’t their fault, it was China’s fault. Not their fault. I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple.
The above transcript courtesy of Rev.
I agree with Trump. The bill is a disgrace and for more reasons than he mentioned.
Airlines are a key example. $15 billion to airlines is a good example. For discussion, please see Airlines to Recall Thousands of Workers: What For?
However, it is also ridiculous to propose sending blanket checks of $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple to everyone.
Trump concludes with a preposterous statement, in italics below.
I’m also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from 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. Thank you very much.
No, president Trump the next administration will not be you for the simple reason you lost big.
My comments earlier today apply.
Slush Fund Revived
Please recall that Congress has been bickering over this since September. Yet, the best they could do is revive the blanket, untargeted checks and the slush fund in the original program dating back to March.
At least this time it’s smaller.
The ramifications, however, are unknown. Something in those 5593 pages is certain to bite in a big way.
Will Congress Override or Will It Amend?
That’s the key question now and I do not know.
Mish
So the liberal congress is trying to steal our tax dollars and give it to everyone else but Americans and it’s Trumps fault? Lol…. Anyone thinking civil war yet?
How bout we just fire the entire lot of them and start over all of them are crooked in their own ways but come the fuck on people bidden is far worse then trump and that bitch with him as a vice president is a chrimal. She padded her pockets with pockets to keep the big time crime bosses off the street and prosecuting good people for making a minor mistake. She’s a racist bigot and so is bidden not mention liars and cheats
Criminal*
Amazing this makes 4 or 5 times he has been right. And he is right on the Secn 230 thing too. On a roll into his finale
Criminal probe, legal fights await Trump after White House
By MICHAEL R. SISAK
November 19, 2020
a dog that barks does not bite. He should veto it and quit threaten it. he has not done anything except responsible for the deaths of 320000 Americans.
the $2000 does sound like a decent thing to do, no matter it will lower any interest I am getting next year to -0. There are millions of poor people out there and this is a Santa-like gesture. I hope Trump and Pelosi give each other a hug and sign the checks.
“$40 million for the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, which is not even open for business. $1 billion for the Smithsonian and an additional $154 million for the National Gallery of Art. Likewise, these facilities are essentially not open.”
Isn’t not being open the reason they need the money?
Ha! Here in San Mateo county, CA, the county public libraries have been closed since last March. And yet they still approved a no-reduction $51 million dollar budget for next year.
In an email Wednesday morning from the White House Management Office, Trump WH staffers were instructed to “please disregard” an earlier memo that had been sent Tuesday informing them that they “will start departing” on the week of Jan. 4.
It’s so hard to believe this is the ‘master negotiator’ who ran multiple casinos into the ground, isn’t it?
“a disgrace”…“The Trump administration is considering a request to grant Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia immunity from a federal lawsuit that accuses him of trying to kill a former Saudi intelligence official living in Canada, legal documents related to the case show.
“If the request is granted, the State Department’s recommendation could potentially provide a legal basis to dismiss other cases against the prince, most notably one where he is accused of directing the assassination of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, a person familiar with the case said.”
Despite Trump’s fight to stay, last night White House staff received a detailed email from his exec. office with directions on the departing process. Employees will start leaving the week of 01/04.
Note addresses everything from cleaning microwaves to ethics debriefing.
Does King Salman have a Trump golf resort already? No?
I can see it now.
It would be like…like an oasis in the desert…..36 hole Jack Nicklaus course, watered by desalinated sea water… Scotland in the Sahara.
Maybe they could air condition the links….. and keep it at the same temperature as Pebble Beach. Cool ocean breeze. They could build some cliffs.
Trump could prowl the hotel casino in the wee hours……tweaking on adderall……and playing the slots like Colonel Tom Parker at the Hilton in the Fat Elvis years.
Meant as a reply to nbr below.
Isn’t it ironic the same people who were offended by all the “free stuff” Bernie Sanders offered are suddenly embracing Donald Trump on this one. I guess it’s not “socialism” when the republicans act like Bernie.
I can’t say that I disagree with Trump on this except for his motives. His TCJA bill was a disgrace and had plenty of pork in it for him so he signed it. I would sympathize with him if he gave some direction to the Senate (McConnell) for negotiations. This dollar amount is just a bribe to help his support when he tries to stay in office. See what happens around January 6.
I agree with John Hussman that the best way to support the economy is to inject the money at the closest point of where the shortfall is and only for those who need it. Large businesses already have their access to capital and low interest loans courtesy of the Fed so they wouldn’t get any more. For individuals and small businesses this would mean some type of loan and/or transfer payment which would be finalized (made permanent) when taxes are filed. Previous years income would be compared with the income from this year. For those who would try to game the system with extraordinary items they would be audited. Not perfect but definitely better than spraying money out of a fire hose.
Disgraceful but that is Washington at its dysfunctional best. For once I have to agree with Trump. With so many people and businesses struggling we should be looking after our own house.
Total nonsense. These sort of items existed in every previous annual budget bills but Trump hasn’t bothered vetoing any of those. Instead, he waited until he is just about out of office and in the middle of a pandemic to pretend he cares about this stuff all of a sudden.
I blame Congress for waiting until the last minute to send a bill to the White House, and now trying to blame Trump 100% for the logjam. BS.
Trump is giving McConnell a headache. Democrats would have always supported $2,000 per person. It was undoubtedly Republicans who couldn’t swallow it. It was a no brainer to see that Pelosi would immeditely sign on. Trump just won zero friends on the GOP side and probably irritated a few at a time he wants their sympathy when he’s about to pull a stunt on January 6th
What does Turtle Mitch do if Trump vetoes and Dems walk from the current bill? Oh no! I’ll have to dust off the pop corn maker!
Mitch was the big winner in the bill, as passed. He successfully blocked the outrageous pork Pelosi wanted, and skillfully guided Congress to pass exactly what the economy needed, no sooner than it was needed. Once Mitch admitted that Biden won, Trump decided to turn on him, and blow up the Republican chances in Georgia so that Mitch will be a minority leader, not majority.
If Trump can’t stay President, he will destroy as much as possible on the way out the door.
I doubt there is time to avert a government shutdown Monday.
What don’t you get? All of these politicians in the house and senate are corrupt except a handful of conservatives. Mitch is a low life who took millions from the communist Chinese. Unlike Mish I believe we shouldn’t even be trading with this Virus spreading garbage communist country. But, but, but free trade. lol. Mish doesn’t understand free trade.
Trump is a lying, two-faced, deceitful charlatan. This is essentially the annual budget bill Congress passes every year and it always has these sort of items in it. If he wanted to stop them why didn’t he veto any of the previous budget bills?
He thinks if he is going to burn down the house then the best time to do it must be in the middle of a pandemic.
This guy is completely unfit to be president.
It is astonishing that not more people are on to the facts about the spending bill side of this paired legislation package. Thank you for articulating these points.
Does he have the option to sign the budgets but not the covid stimulus and he is not saying that?
No – Bill not even formally submitted yet. They could do it in pieces
Not one penny of our tax dollars should be going to other countries at this time, wake up.
yayaya And meanwhile: Russian and Chinese bombers fly joint patrol over Pacific
That’s what happens when the US OF A keeps on polarising the world, with the face- and spineless EU armtwisted into following suit ….If the stupid EU had teamed up with Russia it would ve created a stable geopolitical balance…..a stalemate our US conflictive ‘frend’ could not afford of course…
Just one of the many reasons we should not be trading with communist China. You know the Virus spreading dirtbags of the world.
Trump is being highly disingenuous.
Those foreign aid amounts are the same amounts the US has been giving annually to these countries for years. If he wanted to stop this he could have done it years ago!
Also, it makes absolutely no sense to send a $2,000 blank checks to everyone in the country regardless of actual need just in order to blow up the deficit.
This man really has no acumen whatsoever for the job he’s been in for the past four years.
I can get some of the outrage, but one issue is the omnibus and the relief bill have been combined to make it huge. Regardless if nothing is done by Friday then 15 million people on emergency relief won’t get a check.
Thank you! I was coming to post that two bills were combined so the COVID bill appears to be a giant hog. That isn’t the case. The spending bill is separate. They were just stitched together. Was this a Democrat ploy to expose Trump/GOP to negative reactions if the stimulus doesn’t go through, and as a result the Fed Gov’t shuts down on Monday? Perhaps it is.
Nothing formally submitted yet, but I believe it is one bill.
It looks like a game of chicken. Trump’s got nothing to lose. A lot of people would appreciate $2k. How much is Moscow Mitch giving the horse breeders of Kentucky? Have you seen the long lines of cars trying to get free food? There’s desperation out there and Mitch is out of touch.
Trump doesn’t want this bill passed because it will increase his percentage the Federal debt increased during his term.
US Debt by President by Dollar and Percentage
Who Increased the U.S. Debt the Most? Depends on How You Measure It
The whole spectacle is embarrassing to all involved – well, at least it should be.
Prediction:
The hand-waving about this bill forgotten in a couple weeks when a similar franken-bill will pass and political life will return to ‘normal’.
⏩ It’s the perfect bill for a perfect democracy.
–Written by lobbyists, no public reasoned discussion of the merits of most of what’s in it (too many stipulations).
–No congress critter can possibly be held responsible for any single stipulation, after all, it was a big compromise for the greater good.
–No party can even be held responsible.
A more perfect accountability score is not possible: 0
5500 pages released two hours before the vote?
The pork barrel spending helps US trade in some form as well. The question is what states are benefitting. How come Trump didn’t ask for passing the line item veto from his party when they were in charge from 2016-18 ? He surely had a shot to get it then. Why do you think it did not happen ?
Perhaps you don’t realize that the US Supreme Court ruled in 1998 in “Clinton v. City of New York” that a line item veto was unconstitutional. A constitutional amendment would be required to enact one at the federal level.
Is that before or after Trump declares martial law in the US?
I heard that on Jan. 6 there is a meeting to vote on accepting the state electors or some such item. Somewhere I read that some states are considering renigging on their original electors choices. We shall see.
And we don’t even have to earn the money. We will just take it from the taxpayers.
NOT Possible
Very bad report if that is what they really said.
Stop reading that source – for anything.
The reason why most of the bill has nothing to do with Covid, as I understand it, is that the continuing appropriations bill to avoid a shut down was combined with the Covid package to make one bill to get enough votes. The continuing appropriations part was far larger than the covid part.
Less than one percent of the budget goes to foreign aid. Do you really begrudge that? The best way to improve the economy of a developing nation is to increase the status and job prospects of women. Yes, gender is an issue in Pakistan.
“$7 million for reef fish management, $25 billion to combat Asian carp, ” I’m going to hazard a guess that it wasn’t $25 billion, but 25 million to combat Asian carp. If so, some of this criticism is crap carping about carp. A lot of things sound stupid until you understand the real issue, and the economic impact. 17% of the world’s protein intake comes from fish. 60% of the world’s fisheries are fully fished. 33% are overfished. Soon there will be more tons of plastic in the ocean than tons of fish.
Exactly but they should have passed it as separate bills. The big joke in Washington is everything is going to get redone after January 20th. I expect Democrats to win Georgia because Trump cares more about controlling the party and not the party controlling the Senate. Trump will be the gift that keeps on giving for the Democrats. Every time he opens his mouth he reminds people to vote against the Republican party everywhere.
The critters are unable to pass stand alone bills as then they have to go on record as for or against something, creating a very long list of things to be beaten over the head with at the next primary/election.
Asian carp invasion is actually a really, really bad problem and just the sort of issue that government should be handling as it falls outside the private sector realm.
Trump however, has no interest (or possibly capacity) to run a goverment so it isn’t surprising. Heck, he could hardly even run his own business for more than a few years at a time before having to declare bankruptcy.
That’s the problem with US Government. Fighting carp is fine…gender studies in Pakistan? Who the fuck cares? Holding assistance hostage with pork and vote promises is key to why this country is failing. Large Mega Corps can make decisions with relative ease. The collective intelligence of Congress is zero and cannot do anything right.
How did having a deadly pandemic , which took a large bite out of our GDP and thereby hinder our country’s ability to finance this “bill”, become an excuse to further raid our national treasury and further weaken our country’s fiscal security?
What fiscal security are you referring to ? We are set to hit $30T in debt on the day leaves office. It isn’t his fault as he was only President for 4 years. The common theme here is no one wants to limit federal spending in any way. But we say 90% of businesses fail within the first 3 years. Banks don’t seem to care about losing that as long as the other 10% make up the losses. Who makes up for the losses of the federal government ? Someone HAS to be lender of last resort even in quasi-capitalistic economy.
For some reason, I like this comment. There is no profit motive for any money the federal govt spends or invests. I think this comment hits the nail right on the head.
What deadly pandemic? By how much has the population decreased?
Deaths have increased by about 400,000 this year, by far the largest increases in death from one year to the next since 1918.
His comments on pork had to do with the Federal budget bill. His comment on 2000 vs 600 had to do with the coronavirus relief bill.
2 separate deals, now tied together. Forever to be conflated by the easily confused.
So instead–government shutdown and no covid relief.
Good thing we’re not lined up for brexit,too.
“Forever to be conflated by the easily confused.”
Yeap. But that should have been predictable.
They probably thought by combining the approps bill with the covid bill, Trump couldn’t veto the approps bill. Bad gambit.
Big mistake to combine these bills.
Congress has veto-proof majorities. It’s a done deal.
Everyone is out of town now. That means you would need to get everyone back and do the override vote. Unlikely to happen before next week.
“The House was poised to return Monday, and the Senate on Tuesday, to consider votes to override the president’s veto.”
Fine by me, I can wait a week.
Uh… No
I will explain tomorrow
When he’s right, he’s right. A 5593 page bill means a ton of pork, and not much for regular people.
No. It’s Trump being a liar again. It’s the annual Federal budget bill and as such is always this long. He is purposefully conflating the budget and COVID relief bills.
I say libertarian’s and independents unite. If there has ever been a good chance for a 3rd party would be the next election. This kind of pork barrel stuff going to other countries while your own citizens are suffering in a pandemic needs to be broadcasted loud and clear. It will be hard for any incumbent congress person to defend such actions.
What makes you think that money doesn’t spent back to American industries and corporations ? Most pork barrel spending is put there for blocks of constituents from each and every state. Let’s start with foreign countries who spend money given to them by the US on weapons systems made by US companies.
I mean $31.9k per year
That would have lifted everyone out of poverty.
Well, if it’s so easy, why haven’t we given everybody money long ago?
We need poor people to serve us.
virus relief bill” was “$900 billion”. Today, when it actually hit the table, it is 2.3 TRILLION relief bill”
Since 2009 there has been 36.5 Trillion in bailouts. Add this next bailout and we close to 39 trillion.
There are 122 million families in the U.S. $39 trillion / 122 million is 319k per family or the Government could have paid each family $39k per year for the past 10 years.
YES . I can’t wait to see the next bail out we will be pushing 50-60 trillion!
There is already talk of a $2.3 Trillion infrastructure stimulus plan after Biden gets in office. The BLM is already lining up to collect 40% of it to go to Black Businesses and communities in return for helping Biden get elected. I say good for the BLM for their progressive thinking and getting in the front of the line. The more you complain, the better the odds of getting your piece of the pie.
The US economy would be roaring if we did that. Instead asset values are at nosebleed levels and gnp has flatlined
The main problem with that argument is that Trump didn’t demand a smaller bill, he demanded a bigger one.
The debt makes no difference now. No way can all the Federal debt realistically be repaid. It can’t and won’t happen. Right now the debt isn’t a problem but stick around. It will be a problem at some point.
Why hasn’t he been doing this all along!
We keep voting in the guys in congress. I do not understand it…
We could have a real wall for all that cash sent over seas. One with a trail or wide walkway on top we could hike coast to coast or bike the Great Wall of America not a silly little fence!
We could use stone and rock mined from different States to build dedicate sections some neat architecture it would be come a tourist destination for many of the states.
Trump couldn’t get 32 mil for a wall and we are sending 134 million to Burma? The next Pandemic comes from South American our future generations will say what hell were you guys thinking! Disease is flooding over our borders infecting us at multiple points!
Trump wanted more than 250x that much for the wall. He ended up taking $8 billion from other areas in order to build some of it.
From Jim Stone;
So let’s do the math again. Yesterday, about $100 billion went to the American people for actual corona relief. That had 166 million people getting 600 each. Calculation is approximate. The actual payout to the American people could be less.
If all 900 billion stated yesterday went to the American people, 166 million people would get a 5,400 check. With today’s update, IF the relief bill really was for “coronavirus” and not just a rape of the nation, 166 million people would receive $13,500. Fat chance they’d ever consider that, rather than simply raping the nation.
Single subject legislation is the solution.
Some $500 billion also went to small business, with the money keeping jobs in existence, and the money flowing through to employees.
Hey–the total package included both the 900 billion in covid stuf and the remainder is the federal budget for the year.
Colorado amended their constitution a couple of decades ago to only allow single subject bills in the Legislature. Best thing ever done.
Nebraska has a passage in the Constitution that no bill can become law unless every word is read into the record from the floor of the Legislature. That also works to put an end to 5,000 page bills.
How is that working out in the state?
Instead of squandering all of this money of foreign countries, they should pay for ALL of the dead Americans funeral expenses, that would be fair. As I have said before, “Where is the outrage” towards china?
Have the robots stolen your medicine again?
Millions of Europeans will be vaccinated before average Americans.
Trump vetoed ti communicate he’s still President and relevant. There was no principle involved
Veto-proof majority challenges that “relevance” notion.
29 days left.
I think he voted it to help promote the riots he wants to happen in January. Without riots, he can’t declare martial law.
If it included a bailout for Illinois public pension funds many principals would be involved.
Those gimmes that no one likes. Well that’s the grease that gets bills passed. When they got rid if earmarks they made passing legislation so much harder. A seemingly good idea that turned out to be incredibly stupid
“. . . that’s the grease that gets bills passed[?]” So, then, Congress truly does operate on behalf of special interests rather than the American people, or, at any rate, routinely prioritizes the desires of special interests above those of average Americans who must accept and be grateful for the pennies tossed to them. Enough of that. Trump’s win in 2016 wasn’t an anomaly, but the electorate’s attempt to reconfigure those Congressional priorities. The neoliberal Globalist elites wanted none of that and pulled out all the stops to make sure he wouldn’t serve a second term in Office. If Trump’s veto of the ludicrous relief package is his parting shot to Congress and to the Globalist bastards that own it, then I, for one, say “Good Show!”
“Those gimmes . . . [are] . . . the grease that gets bills passed[?]” So, then, Congress prioritizes the desires of special interests above the needs of Americans, and the Hoi Polloi are, in turn, expected to be grateful for the pennies Congress contemptuously tosses to them: pennies returned to them on the tax dollars Congress receives from them. That helps explain why the electorate voted Trump into Office in the first place. His election was certainly no anomaly, contrary to how the Press plays it. And it took a monumental effort by the neoliberal globalist elites to make sure Trump wouldn’t serve a second term in Office. If Trump’s expected veto of the ludicrous and insulting “Covid Relief” package is his parting shot to Congress and to the ruthless, loathsome elements that seek ever to maintain control over it, then I, for one, say, “Good Show, Trump!”
yea that’s what congress does. you figured it out.
All the headlines trumpet the 600.00 people will be getting. It only took 5600 pages of legislation to do this. Could anybody actually think this bill is on the level?
Maybe they could take it up a notch, and earn 1200 by producing 11,200 pages of legislation
The bill was full of pork……but I think Trump thinks he can buy his way into another term even though he lost the election.
He’s crazy and dangerous. I won’t rest easy until he’s out the door.
Come on Eddie. You and I both know Trump actually won.
You must live in an alternate universe…….Trump World.
Most Federal spending bill’s are full of pork.
The bill he stayed away from plotting his coup instead. Total disgrace. No bill is perfect. If everyone gets something they like and something they don’t it’s called a compromise. Niw he says the check isn’t big enough but he never gave a number. Finally he said 2k. I think Pelosi will oblige
The bill makes streaming any copyrighted material a felony… it’s beyond absurd.
What’s wrong with that?
I doubt if anyone who is hosting the streams go to jail as 95% of those streams are originated somewhere in Asia or the old Eastern Communist Block. Why not put something in their about IP theft instead?
For the streamer, not the viewer. I see no problem with that. It is, after all, theft. I’m surprised it’s not covered by existing laws, though.
Is showing something actually theft?
Is taking a picture of something theft?
Is copying something actually taking possession of it?
Just to be clear, the streaming clause targets sources, not end users. Call it the Netflix Protection Act.
But seriously, this is what we care about?
And like Netflix needs protection. LOL
10 years for posting a video of your kids that you took in a public park while somebody else was blasting NiN.
Don’t think that’ll happen at some point? There’s no law too trivial that it won’t be fully enforced by a DA somewhere in this country (especially when a big corp is pushing that DA).
Meanwhile it’s rare for a rapist to serve a year.
only if that video was shot produced and directed by netflix and they owned the copyright, come on?
This bill is a waste of time. It’s not enough money to do anything of any value. It’s beer money. Don’t even insult us
There is no doubt it my mind that it — like nearly every other law out there — will be abused in the hands of some in our legal system. What’s shocking to me is that people don’t start with that assumption.
Just seconds before I saw this story I posted an article with lots of interest charts on credit applications.
I removed it in case anyone is looking for it. Will post tomorrow AM instead.
It would be dwarfed by this.
Yeah, the court lines will be long. Landlords will rush to be first in line.
“I’m asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2000 or $4000 per couple,” Trump said in a video released on Twitter. “I’m also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items in this legislation or to send me a suitable bill.”
I am, for the first time, in complete agreement with Donald trump. You all witnessed it.
Have the robots stolen your medicine again?
And for the first time, I will agree with one of your posts! Make note.
Right on!
I think Congress should do neither. At this point, they should just announce that they will have to wait until January 23 and try again.
jb will sign in a heart beat he gets a excited (wanted to us other terminology) thinking about all these counties America is helping. He does not give a hoot about us here in the States probably feels like we are just lucky to have what we have via all his hard work…lol
It would take courage for Congress to wait it out.
They don’t have that.
Plus… without that appropriations bill, I think we’re at the debt ceiling, right? Fed gov shuts down…
Trump picked a good spot to play games.