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Trump asks for COVID-19 stimulus checks to be increased to $2,000 per person

He calls the $600 checks "ridiculously low."

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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Corinne Reichert
2 min read
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US President Donald Trump criticized on Tuesday the COVID-19 stimulus bill passed by Congress the day before, saying it won't provide enough money in a second stimulus check for Americans affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Trump asked Congress to take the bill back and increase the size of the second stimulus check to $2,000 per person.

"I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000. Or $4,000 for a couple," Trump said, adding that the $900 billion stimulus bill took "forever" to pass. He made the comments Tuesday evening in a video posted to his own Twitter account.

Read more: Biden commits to a third stimulus check in 2021. What we know so far

Trump didn't specify whether he would actively veto the bill. If the current president vetoes the stimulus package or declines to sign it (known as a "pocket veto"), Congress has the option to pass the bill with a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

President-elect Joe Biden said earlier Tuesday that he'll propose another COVID-19 stimulus check when he takes office in January.

Biden thanked Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Republicans for agreeing on a stimulus package, despite the limit on included checks being $600 rather than the $1,200 that the two parties agreed on in March's stimulus bill.

The second stimulus bill passed Congress on Monday, including a check for up to $600 per person. Since it's a smaller check than the $1,200 previously provided, there's been talk about the possibility of a third check in 2021 following the passage of another bill.

Read more: More stimulus and unemployment checks are ready. When will Trump sign the package?