US Faces Risk of Government Shutdown as Trump Balks at COVID-19 Relief Deal
Americans on Wednesday faced the prospect of a government shutdown during a pandemic as outgoing President Donald Trump, angry at his fellow Republicans in Congress, demanded dramatic changes to a $2.3 trillion…
Americans on Wednesday faced the prospect of a government shutdown during a pandemic as outgoing President Donald Trump, angry at his fellow Republicans in Congress, demanded dramatic changes to a $2.3 trillion government funding and coronavirus aid package.
The package, which includes $892 billion for relief from the coronavirus crisis, passed both chambers of Congress on Monday after months of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats.
It also pays for government operations through September 2021, so if Trump blocks it large parts of the U.S. government will start to shut down next week for lack of funds.
Trump, in a video posted to social media on Tuesday evening, surprised some of his closest officials by demanding lawmakers change the bill to include $2,000 payments to each American, more than triple the $600 per person provided.
A source familiar with the situation said aides thought they had talked Trump out of the $2,000 demand last week. The video surprised even Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin who took part in the talks and backed the $600 figure.
Trump was irked when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Congress’s top Republican, last week acknowledged Democrat Joe Biden’s defeat of Trump in the November election, another source said. Biden is due to take office on Jan. 20.
Trump did not explicitly say he would veto the measure, apparently holding out hope Congress would modify a complex package that took months to negotiate. The White House had said on Sunday that Trump would sign it into law.
Because Congress is due to adjourn at the end of the year, the bill will be automatically vetoed after 10 days if Trump takes no action, in what is known as a “pocket veto.”
Trump also demanded the bill be stripped of foreign aid, which is included in every annual federal spending bill – and was requested by his own administration last year. He objected to other government activities funded by the 5,500-page bill, such as fish breeding and funding for the Smithsonian museums.