With negotiations stalled for a stimulus check 2, President Trump is no proposing to send out $1,200 check directly to Americans using untapped coronavirus relief funds.
As reported by Fox News, Trump is calling on Congress to approve the measure.
“We have $300 billion in an account that we didn’t use,” Trump said Friday during the White House press briefing. “I would be willing to release it, subject to Congress, and use that as stimulus money and it would go right to the American people.”
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Up until now the Democrats and Republicans have been far apart on agreeing to a stimulus package, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushing for $2.2 trillion in funding and Republicans preferring to say closer to $1.3 trillion.
Lawmakers also need to approve spending legislation before the end of the month to avoid a government shutdown, according to CNBC. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday that the plan should fund federal operations into December.
But Congress will also reportedly resume negotiations around a new stimulus plan once it returns from recess.
Trump did not say exactly where the funding would come from for these $1,200 stimulus checks, but Fox News says that there is unused business loan money that was previously approved.
Another sticking point for stimulus negotiations has been the amount set aside for state and local government aid. Democrats have said that they want $900 billion in new relief, while the White House wants a more modest amount of $150 billion.
Both sides have agreed for weeks on the need for additional stimulus checks, but other parts of the package have proved more problematic. The current hope is that Congress will be able to pass a proposal before the end of September.
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