WASHINGTON — President Trump signed a roughly $ 2 trillion stimulus package into law, hours after House lawmakers hustled back to the Capitol to pass the aggressive response to the coronavirus pandemic that has staggered the U.S. economy.
Read now: Will you get a $ 1,200 check from the $ 2 trillion stimulus bill? Depends on how much money you make
The bill is the largest relief package in U.S. history and extends aid to many struggling Americans through direct payments and expanded unemployment insurance. The package provides loans and grants to businesses, augments drained state coffers and sends additional resources to sapped health-care providers.
‘I never signed anything with a T on it.’
“I want to thank Democrats and Republicans for coming together and putting America first,” Trump said in remarks Friday in the Oval Office. He added, in a nod to the size of the package: “I never signed anything with a T on it.”
Trump has told people he wants his signature to appear on the direct payment checks that will go out to many Americans in the coming weeks, according to an administration official. The White House didn’t comment.
Normally, a civil servant — the disbursing officer for the payment center — would sign federal checks, said Don Hammond, a former senior Treasury Department official.
AFP/Getty ImagesThe measure passed the Senate 96-0 earlier in the week and had overwhelming support in the House as well. But it needed to clear one last hurdle on Friday after Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) tried to force a recorded vote, arguing it would be irresponsible to use a voice vote on such a large bill.
An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com.
Coronavirus update: 615,519 diagnosed cases and 28,717 deaths; in U.S., 104,860 and 1,711
Read on: How Americans are coping with sudden job losses amid coronavirus pandemic
Trending at WSJ.com:
Why Dr. Fauci finds himself at the center of coronavirus controversy
Italy’s slow-moving battle against COVID-19 is a warning to the U.S. and others
