Trump's last-minute tantrum throws pandemic relief effort into chaos
Seung Min Kim, Josh Dawsey and Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post
Dec. 23, 2020
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President Trump and first lady Melania Trump depart the White House on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 23, 2020.Washington Post photo by Toni L. Sandys
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's last-minute move to reject a sweeping coronavirus relief package is escalating confusion and panic among Republicans while setting the stage for an uncomfortable confrontation Thursday that could lead GOP lawmakers to object to their own president's demand for larger stimulus checks for Americans.
The chaos is unfolding against the backdrop of another threatened government shutdown, with funding set to lapse starting Tuesday unless a spending bill to keep federal operations running is signed into law along with the virus aid bill. While the president hasn't explicitly threatened a veto, his defiance of a deal negotiated by his own administration could spark a standoff that could conceivably last until Joe Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20.