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WASHINGTON: US lawmakers on Thursday (Dec. 24) blocked attempts to alter a $ 2.3 trillion government spending and coronavirus aid package, rejecting President Donald Trump’s demand for sweeping changes and leaving at risk the benefits for millions of Americans.
Democrats in the House of Representatives sought to increase direct payments to Americans included in the bill from $ 600 to $ 2,000 per person as part of an economic relief initiative from the coronavirus, responding to one of Trump’s requests. . Trump’s fellow Republicans, who oppose the larger number, blocked that effort.
Republicans sought to change the amount of foreign aid included in the package, seeking to address another of Trump’s complaints. Democrats blocked that request.
The flurry of activity on the House floor did nothing to break up a standoff that threatens desperately needed assistance for millions of Americans and raises the possibility of a partial government shutdown at a time when officials are trying to distribute vaccines in a country where nearly 320,000 people have died of COVID-19.
Embittered by his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, Trump on Tuesday pressed Congress to drastically modify the coronavirus and the government spending package, which passed through wide bipartisan margins on Monday.
Trump was playing golf in Florida on Thursday. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The 5,500-page bill took months to negotiate, and the White House had previously said Trump would sign it into law.
With the status quo unchanged, it was unclear whether Trump would sign the package into law or wait for more action to be taken.
If Trump does not sign the package into law, unemployment benefits for some 14 million Americans will expire as of Saturday and the U.S. government will be forced into a partial shutdown beginning Tuesday.
LEE: The delay of Trump’s COVID-19 bill leaves millions of desperate Americans in limbo
The new stimulus controls, which could be issued next week, would be delayed, as would payments to cash-strapped states that are administering the vaccine launch.
A moratorium on tenant evictions would expire on December 31, instead of being extended for another month. The showdown comes as the US economy is slowing in the face of the raging pandemic.
‘HOW IRONIC’
Congress could keep operations running by passing a fourth interim funding bill before midnight Monday. To do that successfully, lawmakers would need Trump’s cooperation at a time when he is consumed by his attempt to stay in office beyond January 20.
However, the interim bill would not include aid for the coronavirus.
Many Democrats say the $ 892 billion coronavirus aid package is not big enough to deal with the pandemic, and they have welcomed Trump’s call for tighter stimulus controls.
“How ironic it would be to shut down the federal government at a time of pandemic crisis, the time when government services are most needed,” House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer told a news conference.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House would hold a vote on increasing the stimulus check on Monday.
The House will also try Monday to overturn Trump’s veto on an unrelated defense policy bill.
Republicans opposed larger direct payments during the negotiations as they sought to limit the size of the package. The increased payments could add hundreds of billions of dollars to the overall price.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said Thursday that Democrats should be willing to address foreign aid and other elements of the bill that he has called wasteful spending. “House Democrats appear to be suffering from a targeted audience,” he wrote in a letter to other House Republicans.
The Trump administration had requested foreign aid in a budget proposal earlier this year, and its top negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, had supported the $ 600 stimulus payments.
Biden has said that a larger coronavirus relief package will be needed to help fight the pandemic and help those whose lives have been affected by it. His transition team declined to comment on Thursday’s events.
Trump triggered a record 35-day government shutdown two years ago when he rejected a federal spending bill for what he said was insufficient funds to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
That left tens of thousands of federal workers idle and forced military service members and public safety employees to work without pay.
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