Trump Urges Congress To Pass $1,200 Stimulus Checks, Paycheck Protection Funds After Ending Talks

Hours after canceling negotiations with Democrats over stimulus legislation on Tuesday and pledging to pass a bill after the election, President Trump backtracked by calling on Congress to send him standalone bills that would cover individual aspects of the package under negotiation.

Trump called on Congress to “IMMEDIATELY approve” $25 billion in airline payroll support and $135 billion in funding for the paycheck protection program through unused funds in the CARES Act, before adding that he would sign a standalone $1,200 stimulus check bill and tagging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Congressional leaders.

Hours earlier, Trump said he told his representatives to “stop negotiating until after the election” and said that, if he wins, “we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business.”

In canceling the talks, Trump expressed outrage at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for demanding considerably more than the $1.6 trillion offered by the White House and called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to focus his energy on confirming Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.