>>> VERY GOOD EVENING TO YOU.
I’M RICHARD LUI IN NEW YORK
CITY.
BREAKING NEWS FOR THANK YOU
HOUR, 14 MIBS AFTERNUTES AFTER 8
PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNING
CONGRESS’ STIMULUS BILL
RELEASING $900 BILLION OF COVID
RELIEF AND AVERTING A MONDAY
NIGHT SHUTDOWN.
THE PRESIDENT WAS AT ONE OF HIS
RESORTS GOLFING TODAY.
LET’S GO STRAIGHT TO NBC’S JOSH
LETTERMAN, WHO WAS WITH THE
PRESIDENT THIS WEEKEND.
JOSH, WHAT IS THE NEWS WE’RE
GETTING?
>> Reporter: PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
NOW SIGNED IN TO LAW THE COVID
RELIEF BILL, AS WELL AS THE
GOVERNMENT SPENDING MEASURE,
RICHARD, MEANING THAT THE
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WE HAD BEEN
AWAITING POSSIBLY HAPPENING WHEN
WE START TUESDAY HAS NOW BEEN
AVERTED AND THAT COVID RELIEF,
SOME $900 BILLION OF RELIEF
MEASURES PASSED OVERWHELMINGLY
BY BOTH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
WILL NOW BE HEADED TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THIS CAME AFTER MANY DAYS OF
DELAYS, AFTER THE PRESIDENT
SUGGESTED HE WAS NOT GOING TO
SIGN IT, BECAUSE AFTER THE DEAL
WAS DONE, NEGOTIATED BY HIS OWN
BROKERS IN CONGRESS, THE
PRESIDENT DECIDED HE ACTUALLY
WANTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT,
$2,000 PAYMENTS AS OPPOSED TO
$600 PAYMENTS TO AMERICANS THAT
WAS INCLUDED IN THAT BILL.
NOW TONIGHT, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE
PRESIDENT, JUDD DEERE, SAID HE
HAS SIGNED IT AND IS PASSING AGO
A STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP
THAT READS "AS PRESIDENT I TOLD
CONGRESS I WANT FAR LESS
WASTEFUL SPENDING AND MORE MONEY
GOING TO THE PEOPLE IN THE FORM
OF $2,000 PER ADULT AND $6 HUN00
CHILD.
THE PRESIDENT GOING ON IN THIS
MESSAGE TO SAY HE’S SENDING A
STRONG MESSAGE THAT MAKES CLEAR
TO CONGRESS WASTEFUL ITEMS NEED
TO BE REMOVED.
HE IS SENDING BACK TO CONGRESS A
RED LINE VERSION, ITEM BY ITEM,
BASICALLY TELLING CONGRESS
THINGS THAT HE WANTS REMOVED
FROM THE BILL.
WE’LL HAVE TO SEE HOW THAT IS
ACTUALLY GOING TO WORK OUT,
BECAUSE ONCE THIS BILL IS SIGNED
IN TO LAW, IT’S LAW AND THAT
MONEY IS GOING TO BE GOING OUT
THE DOOR.
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF
SPECULATION TODAY, AND OVER THE
LAST FEW DAYS, THAT THE
PRESIDENT MIGHT ULTIMATELY CAVE
FROM THIS THREAT NOT TO MOVE
FORWARD WITH THIS RELIEF IN
EXCHANGE FOR SOME PROMISE FROM
LEADERS IN CONGRESS THAT THEY
WOULD TAKE UP A MEASURE TO ADD
MORE MONEY TO THESE DIRECT
PAYMENTS AND THESE OTHER DEMANDS
THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN
MAKING OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS.
WE’LL HAVE TO SEE WHETHER THE
PRESIDENT HAS EXTRACTED SOME
TYPE OF COMMITMENT FROM MAJORITY
LEADER MITCH McCONNELL, TO PUT
ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE THE
BILL WE EXPECT TO PASS THE HOUSE
EARLY THIS WEEK, AUTHORIZING
PAYMENTS AT A $200 LEVEL.
FOR NOW, THE PRESIDENT HAS
SIGNED THIS MEASURE INTO LAW
THAT WILL RESTORE THESE
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, STOP THE
EVICTIONS THAT WERE GOING TO BE
FACING AMERICANS STARTING
JANUARY 1st.
WE SHOULD SAY THE PRESIDENT’S
GAMBIT OVER THE PAST SEVERAL
DAYS IS NOT WITHOUT REAL PAIN
FOR AMERICANS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, RICHARD.
THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT
WAITED UNTIL NOW MEANS A FULL
WEEK OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
THAT AMERICANS HAVE BEEN
COUNTING ON, THEY WILL NO LONGER
HAVE.
>> SO, JOSH, FOLKS LISTENING ARE
THINKING, WHAT IS THE REDS?
ARE THEY BIG RED LINES, SMALL
RED LINES?
ANY INDICATION WHAT THOSE
CAVEATS MAY BE?
IT’S VERY, VERY EARLY, WAY
EARLY, IF YOU WILL, IN TERMS OF
GETTING THOSE DETAILS.
>> SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT THE
PRESIDENT IS DOING, AND
LITERALLY HIS SMOKESMAN IS
TWEETING OUT THIS STATEMENT
SENTENCE BY SENTENCE, AS WE ARE
SPEAKING RIGHT NOW.
BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WHAT THE
PRESIDENT IS GOING TO DO IS SIGN
THIS BILL, BUT THEN SEND
CONGRESS BASICALLY A LIST OF
THINGS THAT HE WANTS THEM TO
REMOVE AND CONGRESS COULD TRY TO
PASS ANOTHER LAW IF THEY CHOSE
TO DO SO THAT WOULD MEET THE
PRESIDENT’S DEMANDS.
WHAT THIS APPEARS TO BE IS
BASICALLY A WAY OUT FOR THE
PRESIDENT, WHO GOT HIMSELF INTO
THIS MESS, APPARENTLY NOT
TOTALLY UNDERSTANDING THE FULL
RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT SIGNING
THIS MEASURE AND IS NOW LOOKING
FOR A WAY TO BACK OUT OF IT,
ALLOW THAT FUNDING TO GO
FORWARD, BUT WITHOUT LOOKING
LIKE HE LOST A FIGHT OR SIMPLY
CAVING.
THIS IS WHAT SEEMS TO BE A KIND
OF FIG LEAF WHERE THE PRESIDENT
COULD SAY HE’S STILL GOING TO BE
ABLE TO WORK WITH CONGRESS TO