Trump vetoes sweeping US defense bill digitaljournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from digitaljournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
US President Donald Trump has rejected a nearly $900bn emergency spending legislation to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic that took months to negotiate, telling Congress to amend the bill and increase the amount of relief to Americans, among other demands.
In a video message posted on social media on Tuesday night, Trump also claimed the bill contained “wasteful spending”, which he said had nothing to do with the pandemic.
“The bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated,” Trump said.
“It really is a disgrace.”
While he did not explicitly say he would not sign the bill, which passed overwhelmingly on Monday in both houses of Congress, Trump made it clear he would not accept the legislation in its current form.
Trump vetoes sweeping US defence bill channelnewsasia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from channelnewsasia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The bill provides help to small businesses and contains a host of other provisions, including:Â
$600 direct payments to most individuals, including children;
$13 billion in increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and child nutrition benefits to help relieve the historic hunger crisis that has left up to 17 million children food insecure;
$25 billion in rental assistance and an extended eviction moratorium to help ensure people can stay in their homes for the duration of this crisis;
$284 billion for a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans for businesses, with dedicated funding for small and underserved businesses through Community Development Financial Institutions;
$300 per week in federal unemployment insurance for 11 weeks;