【中国观察2020年12月26日讯】格雷厄姆在圣诞节当天晚些时候发推文说：“今天在与川普总统相处了一段时间后，我相信他比以往任何时候都更有决心将救济资金增加到每人2000美元，并挑战第230条对大科技公司的法律责任保护。”

“这两个都是合理的要求，我希望国会能够倾听。最大的赢家将是美国人民。”他补充说。

在当天稍早的一则推文中，格雷厄姆说：“国会应该按照总统川普的要求，投票终止第230条。”他还强调，“除非努力废除第230条，否则我不会投票推翻总统的否决权。”

本周一（12月21日），国会参众两院通过了9000亿美元的中共病毒（COVID-19）疫情救济方案，其中包括对每个美国公民600美元的经济救济支票，以及高达2.3万亿美元的政府拨款方案。

次日，川普批评了这项法案，称国会“为外国、游说者和特殊利益集团提供了大量资金，同时却向需要资金的美国人民发送了最低额度的救济金”。他要求国会将救济支票提高到2000美元，否则他将否决该救济方案。

川普总统还建议国会从这项政府拨款法案中，取消对其他国家的部分拨款，比如对巴基斯坦所谓“性别项目”的拨款。

“这真是一个耻辱。拿这个5000多页的法案来说，由于它的长度和复杂性，国会没人看过。它被称为COVID（中共病毒）救助法案，但它几乎与COVID（中共病毒）无关。这个法案包含援助柬埔寨的8,550万美元、1.34亿美元用于援助缅甸、13亿美元用于援助埃及和埃及军方。”川普补充说，埃及军方要去买的“几乎全是俄罗斯的军事装备”。

目前，增加对美国人民救济金额的提案，被共和党议员阻止；而削减对外国援助资金的提案，则被民主党议员阻止了。

众议院议长南希•佩洛西（Nancy Pelosi）在一份声明中说：“下周一（12月28日），我将召开众议院会议，对我们的独立法案进行投票表决，以将直接付款救济支票金额提高到2,000美元。”

另外，本周三（23日），川普总统还否决了7,400亿美元的《国防授权法案》（NDAA），理由是该法案没有修改或删除《通信规范法》（Communications Decency Act）第230条。该条款给从事审查或政治行为的大科技公司，提供了法律免责保护。

川普在一份声明中说：“不幸的是，该法案未能包括关键的国家安全措施，包括未能尊重我们的退伍军人和军队历史的条款，并与我的政府在国家安全和外交政策行动中把美国放在第一位的努力相矛盾。”

“这（该法案目前版本）是给中国（中共）和俄罗斯的‘礼物’。”他补充说。

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn of the White House on Dec. 23, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)   

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said after meeting with the president on Friday (Dec. 25) that President Trump (R-Texas) is determined to give Americans a $2,000 relief check and end Section 230 protections for big tech companies.

[China Watch, Dec. 26, 2020] Graham tweeted late on Christmas Day, "After spending time with President Trump today, I believe he is more determined than ever to increase relief funding to $2,000 per person and challenge Section 230's legal liability protections for Big Tech companies. "

"Both are reasonable requests, and I hope Congress will listen. The biggest winners will be the American people." He added.

In a tweet earlier in the day, Graham said, "Congress should vote to end Section 230, as President Trump has asked." He also stressed that "I will not vote to override the President's veto unless there is an effort to repeal Section 230."

On Monday (Dec. 21), the House and Senate of Congress passed a $900 billion Communist China virus (COVID-19) outbreak relief package, which includes a $600 economic relief check for every U.S. citizen and a government funding package of up to $2.3 trillion.

The following day, Trump criticized the bill, saying Congress "has provided massive amounts of money to foreign countries, lobbyists and special interests, while sending minimal relief to the American people who need it. He asked Congress to raise the relief check to $2,000 or he would veto the relief package.

President Trump also suggested that Congress remove some of the funding for other countries, such as the so-called "gender programs" in Pakistan, from this government appropriations bill.

"It's a disgrace. Take this 5,000-page bill that no one in Congress has read because of its length and complexity. It's called the COVID (Chinese Communist Virus) Relief Act, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID (Chinese Communist Virus). This bill contains $85.5 million for aid to Cambodia, $134 million for aid to Burma, and $1.3 billion for aid to Egypt and the Egyptian military." Trump added that the Egyptian military is going to buy "almost exclusively Russian military equipment."

Currently, proposals to increase the amount of relief for the American people are being blocked by Republican lawmakers, while proposals to cut funding for foreign aid are being blocked by Democratic lawmakers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement, "Next Monday (Dec. 28), I will convene the House of Representatives to vote on our stand-alone bill to increase the amount of direct payment relief checks to $2,000. "

Also this Wednesday (23rd), President Trump vetoed the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on the grounds that it did not amend or remove Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDAA). That provision gives big tech companies that engage in censorship or political behavior, legal immunity from liability.

In a statement, Trump said, "Unfortunately, the bill fails to include critical national security measures, including provisions that fail to honor our veterans and military history, and contradicts my administration's efforts to put America first in its national security and foreign policy actions."

"This (the current version of the bill) is a 'gift' to China (Communist Party of China) and Russia." He added.