Trump breaks promise to give people virus relief 'immediately after the election'

Donald Trump has broken his promise that federal COVID-19 relief funding would appear “immediately after the election.”

On the Friday before Election Day, Trump offered voters a bribe: trillions of dollars in funding to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We will have a tremendous stimulus package immediately after the election,” he told reporters on Oct. 30. “And I think we’re going to take back the House, I think we’re going to do very well in the Senate, a little bit more complex, frankly, and I think we’re going to have a fantastic presidential election.”

Trump had made a similar claim on Oct. 6, when he called off negotiations with congressional Democrats over emergency relief funds, tweeting: “I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business.”

Trump was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election by a comfortable margin in both the popular vote and the Electoral College, but is claiming victory and refusing to concede. House Democrats kept their majority — albeit with a smaller caucus — and Democrats have gained at least one seat in the Senate.

But more than a week after the election, Trump has made no mention of stimulus funds. He has spent his days tweeting baseless conspiracy theories about voter fraud, avoiding public appearances, and playing golf at his own resorts.

The pandemic has only gotten worse in that time. The number of new coronavirus cases has spiked to all-time highs, while more than 1,000 Americans die daily and hospitals struggle to keep up. The economy also continues to struggle, with millions still unemployed and key benefits set to expire at the end of the year if Congress does not act to extend them.

The House of Representatives passed a $3 trillion relief bill in May, but the GOP-controlled Senate has refused to vote on it.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on Tuesday that the chamber will now turn its attention to confirming even more of Trump’s judicial nominees to lifetime appointments.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) promised late last month that a $2 trillion relief bill would be his “number-one goal” once the Senate returned.

“I think as soon as the election is over there’s going to be a bipartisan breakthrough on a big package somewhere around $2 trillion that will help the economy,” he said, while falsely blaming the lack of an earlier package on Democrats, claiming, “I don’t see much desire to help President Trump on anything, to be honest with you. It’s not the money.”

But McConnell made it clear on Tuesday that he has little interest in passing any bill that goes much beyond his twice-rejected $500 billion “skinny” proposal, saying, “I don’t think the current situation demands a multitrillion-dollar package. So I think it should be highly targeted, very similar to what I put on the floor both in October and September.”

Trump has spent his time in the White House breaking promises. He failed to keep his pledges to get Mexico to fund a massive border wall; to replace the Affordable Care Act with something “terrific” that covers everyone; to provide large tax cuts for the middle class; to end the “carnage” in America’s cities; to eliminate the budget deficit and national debt; to stop all drug trafficking; and to solve racism “quickly and easily.”

Now he’s broken yet another one.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.