US Republican leader urges Senate to override Donald Trump veto
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TueTuesday 29
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TueTuesday 29
DecDecember 2020 at 10:56pm
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US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urges the Senate to override President Donald Trump s veto of a $US740 billion defence policy bill.
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US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has delayed the vote on President Donald Trump s call to boost COVID-19 relief checks and urged the Senate to override his veto of a defence bill.
Key points:
Trump signs pandemic aid bill under pressure
US President Donald Trump on Sunday signed into law a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package, restoring unemployment benefits to millions of Americans and averting a federal government shutdown in a crisis of his own making.
Trump, who leaves office on January 20 after losing November’s election to President-elect Joe Biden, backed down from his earlier threat to block the bill, which was approved by Congress last week, after he came under intense pressure from lawmakers on both sides.
The Republican president, who golfed on Sunday and remained out of public view even as the potential government crisis loomed, had demanded that Congress change the bill to increase the size of stimulus checks for struggling Americans to $2,000 from $600 and also cut some other spending.
Trump finally signs into law a US$ 2,3 trillion pandemic and spending package; stimulus checks of US$ 2,000 Full article The package includes US$1.4 trillion in spending to fund government agencies. If Trump had not signed the legislation, then a partial government shutdown would have begun on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday signed into law a US$2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package, restoring unemployment benefits to millions of Americans and averting a federal government shutdown in a crisis of his own making.
Trump, who leaves office on Jan 20 after losing November’s election to President-elect Joe Biden, backed down from his earlier threat to block the bill, which was approved by Congress last week, after he came under intense pressure from lawmakers on both sides.
The Republican president, who golfed on Sunday and remained out of public view even as the government crisis loomed, had demanded that Congress change the bill to increase the size of stimulus checks for struggling Americans to $2,000 from $600 and also cut some other spending.
It was not immediately clear why Trump, who has refused to concede defeat to Biden, changed his mind on the stimulus package. His resistance had threatened to inject further chaos into the final stretch of his presidency.
After signing the bill behind closed doors at his beachside club, Trump sought to put the best face on his climb-down, saying he was signing the bill with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed.
Updated / Monday, 28 Dec 2020
10:02
Donald Trump had demanded that Congress change the bill to increase the size of stimulus cheques to $2,000 from $600
US President Donald Trump signed into law a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package, restoring unemployment benefits to millions of Americans and averting a federal government shutdown in a crisis of his own making.
Mr Trump backed down from his threat to block the bill, which was approved by Congress last week, after he came under intense pressure from politicians on both sides.
The Republican president had demanded that Congress change the bill to increase the size of stimulus checks for struggling Americans to $2,000 from $600.