Trump tells Congress to rework COVID-19 relief package for $2K stimulus checks, hints he won't sign

Sent to the White House just hours ago, it now looks as if Congress isn’t yet done with the much-discussed $900 billion COVID-19 relief package.

In a fiery statement posted to Twitter late Tuesday, President Donald Trump demanded Congress amend the stimulus bill and adjust the "ridiculously low $600 to $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple."

The president listed a number of items funded in the bill, the bulk of which were not related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The earmarked funds mentioned by Trump included assistance to countries like Cambodia, Burma and Egypt, the latter of which he alleged will use the money "to go out and buy almost exclusively Russian equipment."

The president also singled out funding for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Smithsonian Institution and National Gallery of Art.

"Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries, lobbyists and special interests, while sending the bare minimum to the American people who need it," he said. "It wasn’t their fault. It was China’s fault."

While demanding changes to funding and suggesting he would not immediately sign the bill, the president never explicitly said he would not take action.

By comparison, the initial round of stimulus checks secured through the CARES Act were for $1,200. The idea for $600 checks reportedly came from Trump's own Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin.

In addition to the stimulus checks, the package passed by Congress on Monday night includes a moratorium on evictions, additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, and money for transportation, healthcare and education.

Trump concluded by alluding to another ongoing fight: his campaign’s continued assault on the country’s election system and baseless allegations of voter fraud, telling Congress to "send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package and maybe that administration will be me."