UPDATE 3-U.S. faces risk of government shutdown as Trump balks at COVID-19 relief deal Reuters 12/23/2020
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By Andy Sullivan and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - 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.
WASHINGTON, DC The Industrial Minerals Association – North America (IMA-NA) released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Interior’s action to lower the federal royalty rate for soda ash.
“The IMA-NA would like to thank the U.S. Department of Interior’s Secretary David Bernhardt for taking action on lowering the soda ash industry’s federal royalty rate from 6 percent to 2 percent for a period of 10 years.
This action was necessary in order to enable the U.S. soda ash industry to against their primary competitors in China and in the global marketplace. China has long used questionable trade practices in heavily subsidizing its industry, which has given the Chinese a competitive advantage against U.S. soda ash producers.
6 Min Read
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump vetoed a bipartisan defense policy bill on Wednesday and raised the prospect that the United States could face a government shutdown during a pandemic, stirring new turmoil in Washington as he headed to Florida for Christmas.
Angry at his fellow Republicans in Congress, Trump sought to refashion two complex pieces of legislation that passed Congress by wide, bipartisan margins after months of negotiation.
Trump followed through on a threat to veto the defense bill and demanded dramatic changes to a $2.3 trillion package that funds the federal government and provides nearly $900 billion in coronavirus aid.
24/12/2020 Trump s comments surprised some of his closest officials. Photo credit: Getty
Americans on Wednesday (local time) faced the prospect of a government shutdown during a pandemic as outgoing President Donald Trump, angry at his fellow Republicans in Congress, threatened not to sign a US$2.3 trillion (NZ$3.2 trillion) government funding and coronavirus aid package.
The package, including US$892 billion for relief from the coronavirus crisis, ended months of negotiations between congressional Republicans and Democrats.
It also pays for government operations through September 2021, so if Trump blocks it then large parts of the US government will start to shut down next week for lack of funds.
Late Friday, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy finally got the briefing he has been demanding regarding what the FBI knew about Rep. Eric Swalwellâs relationship with a Chinese communist spy, just one of thousands of Chinese agents sent to compromise American officials and institutions.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also attended Fridayâs briefing. McCarthy was stunned when he emerged from the briefing room and during later interviews with reporters.
Of course, the briefing was classified so McCarthy could not divulge details, such as the exact nature of Swalwellâs relationship with Fang Fang. But he was absolutely clear that Swalwell should not be on the House Intelligence Committee. And McCarthy is now calling for all members of the Intelligence Committee to receive the same briefing so they can understand what theyâre dealing with.