President Donald Trump changed course Tuesday night and urged Congress to pass a series of measures to alleviate the crisis caused by the coronavirus that he declared willing to sign, including stimulus checks worth $ 1,200 for the Americans.
Hours earlier, he had interrupted the talks between the main members of the Democratic Party and the Republicans about new aid
until after the elections on November 3
, which seemed to have buried the possibilities of a new stimulus package before that date. .
"I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the elections when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major stimulus bill," he wrote on a busy day on the social network Twitter.
[Trump stops negotiations on the new stimulus package for COVID-19 until after the elections]
He also claimed to have asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to focus his pre-election efforts on confirming his Supreme Court candidate, Amy Coney Barrett.
In the minutes after these messages, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
plummeted by more than 400 points
.
Before that announcement, on the same day, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned that the economic recovery remains fragile seven months after the start of the coronavirus pandemic and highlighted the need for new economic stimulus plans.
But hours later, Trump appeared to back down: "If you send me a separate bill for stimulus checks ($ 1,200), it will go to our great folks IMMEDIATELY. I'm ready to sign right now," he tweeted Tuesday night.
The president spread those messages when he is still in the process of recovery after being infected by coronavirus.
A senior administration official familiar with the president's thoughts on the matter said Tuesday that "a large-scale stimulus package is on the sidelines," as Trump previously made clear, according to our sister network NBC News.
But the White House appears to be planning to push through a series of smaller individual packages on mutually agreed-upon items.
The previous announcement that the president was suspending negotiations for new aid affected by the economic crisis as a result of the pandemic generated
puzzled reactions
among people in need of support.
Here's what to do if you haven't received your stimulus check yet
Sept.
22, 202002: 05
"We have been living off our savings," Latina Ramia Estevez told Noticias Telemundo, "but the savings as long as they last are running out, and we were really waiting to pay the rent."
"It is a ruthless decision," said activist for the rights of migrants Sulma Arias.
“It is very tragic that the president has taken this action,” declared Illinois Democratic Representative Jesús 'Chuy' García.
An estimated
40 million people are
waiting
to have a new check.
With his message Tuesday afternoon, Trump partly appeared to take it for granted that he will win the election, which contradicts how far behind in the polls he has been for months, and partly suggests that his victory would be a condition for continuing negotiations.
[Biden's lead over Trump skyrockets to 14 points after bitter presidential debate, according to NBC and WSJ poll]
In another message, Trump accused the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, of not having "negotiated in good faith."
The Democratic leader condemned Trump's decision, arguing that he "is unwilling to squash the virus" and "refuses to provide real help to America's poor children, the unemployed and working families."
With information from NBC News.
