Trump signs relief and spending bill with intent to use Impoundment Control Act to remove 'wasteful spending' and increase stimulus

President Donald Trump announced Sunday evening that he would sign the COVID-19 Relief Package and the Omnibus Spending Bill but intends to use the Impoundment Control Act (ICA) of 1974 to get Congress to remove "wasteful spending" and boost coronavirus stimulus checks from the approved $600 to up to the $2,000 per person.

In a statement, Trump said "As President of the United States, it is my responsibility to protect the people of our country from the economic devastation and hardship that was caused by the China Virus.

"I understand that many small businesses have been forced to close as a result of harsh actions by Democrat-run states. Many people are back to work, but my job is not done until everyone is back to work."

The bill will allow the government to have enough funding to continue operating into September of 2021, extend unemployment benefits, extend eviction protection, provide rental assistance, and add additional funding to the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program and invest in vaccine distribution.

"Fortunately, as a result of my work with Congress in passing the CARES Act earlier this year, we avoided another Great Depression," Trump said. "Under my leadership, Project Warp Speed has been a tremendous success, my administration and I developed a vaccine many years ahead of wildest expectations, and we are distributing these vaccines, and others soon coming, to millions of people.

"As President, I have told Congress that I want far less wasteful spending and more money going to the American people in the form of $2,000 checks per adult and $600 per child."

Trump sent a "redlined version" of the bill back to Congress, giving an "item by item" breakdown of formal "rescission" requests and asking that any of the "wasteful items" be removed from the bill.

According to the US Government Accountability Office, "…upon sending the message, amounts proposed for rescission (that is, for permanent cancellation) may be impounded for a period of 45 days of continuous congressional session."

The House will vote on Monday as to the proposed increase in direct payments from $600 to $2000.

"I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed. I will send back to Congress a redlined version, item by item, accompanied by the formal rescission request to Congress insisting that those funds be removed from the bill," Trump said.

"I am signing this bill to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for PPP, return our airline workers back to work, add substantially more money for vaccine distribution, and much more."

Trump had initially resisted the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress on Dec. 21, which was accompanied by a $2.3 trillion year end, omnibus spending package. At the time, the president had called the relief bill a "disgrace" and claimed it had "...almost nothing to do with COVID."

Sunday's signing came after a weekend during which Trump asked lawmakers to increase direct payments for Americans from $600 to $2,000 and to cut the billions of dollars of "pork" and foreign aid in the legislation.

The House will require the combined package be subject to a two-thirds vote for passage before it goes to the Senate for approval. The GOP controlled Senate has resisted the increase in payments.

Trump added, "Additionally, Congress has promised that Section 230, which so unfairly benefits Big Tech at the expense of the American people, will be reviewed and either be terminated or substantially reformed."

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) confirmed that "Congress will vote on additional stimulus checks and repealing Section 230," which is a provision that shields internet companies from liability for content posted to their websites by site users.

Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-NY), Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee issued a statement Sunday night that her committee's Democratic majority plan to deny the president's rescissions.

"President Trump has indicated that he will now send a rescissions package to Congress that aims to reverse funding his own administration requested and undo the careful bipartisan agreement he has just signed," the statement read.

"The House Appropriations Committee has jurisdiction over rescissions, and our Democratic Majority will reject any rescissions submitted by President Trump. By turning the page on this request, we will allow the Biden-Harris Administration to begin to Build Back Better."