PALM BEACH, FL — On Dec. 20, Congress announced bipartisan support for a $900-plus billion pandemic relief measure that includes an extension of support for idled gig workers and $15 billion for independent arts and entertainment venues. When President Trump left the White House without signing the hard-fought measure, the documents followed him to Florida, where Trump spent Christmas. He then signed them on Dec. 27.
Although many issued a sigh of relief that this hard-fought bipartisan relief package was finally a done deal — and accompanied by $1.4 trillion in governmental funding that averts a shutdown that could have otherwise happened as early as Dec. 29 — the signature came a day after a critical Dec. 26 deadline.
Dec. 26 marked the “cliff” faced by 14 million people depending on pandemic unemployment assistance. The bipartisan relief measure called for an 11-week extension of support, starting Dec. 26. But because the measure was not approved by Trump until a day later, those depending on the pandemic unemployment assistance were expected to be getting it over a 10-week span instead.
