Biden Accuses Trump Of Dereliction Of Duty By Refusing To Sign COVID-19 Economic Relief Bill

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:26 pm

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President-Elect Joe Biden accused Trump of dereliction of duty, as the soon to be former president has golfed instead of signing a bipartisan stimulus bill.

President-Elect Biden said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

Millions of families don’t know if they’ll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority.

This abdication of responsibility has devastating consequences. Today, about 10 million Americans will lose unemployment insurance benefits. In just a few days, government funding will expire, putting vital services and paychecks for military personnel at risk. In less than a week, a moratorium on evictions expires, putting millions at risk of being forced from their homes over the holidays. Delay means more small businesses won’t survive this dark winter because they lack access to the lifeline they need, and Americans face further delays in getting the direct payments they deserve as quickly as possible to help deal with the economic devastation caused by COVID-19. And while there is hope with the vaccines, we need funding to be able to distribute and administer them to millions of Americans, including frontline health care workers.

This bill is critical. It needs to be signed into law now. But it is also a first step and down payment on more action that we’ll need to take early in the new year to revive the economy and contain the pandemic — including meeting the dire need for funding to distribute and administer the vaccine and to increase our testing capacity.

In November, the American people spoke clearly that now is a time for bipartisan action and compromise. I was heartened to see members of Congress heed that message, reach across the aisle, and work together. President Trump should join them and make sure millions of Americans can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads in this holiday season.

If Trump doesn’t sign this stimulus bill, it will be dead in a few days when the current Congress ends. The consequence of Trump’s inaction will be the Democrats and Republicans will have to start all over again with trying to pass a bill that Biden will be able to sign on January 20.

Millions of Americans need help now. They won’t make it another 3-4 weeks until Joe Biden takes office. Americans are being urged to call Mar-a-Lago and tell Trump to sign the bill.
People can’t afford to wait. If Trump won’t act, voters must make their displeasure known in the Georgia Senate runoffs.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association