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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump was due to fly back to Washington on Thursday a day earlier than planned, as he continued his fight with Congress over a defense and controls bill. encouragement, as well as a long shot. attempt to reverse his electoral defeat of November.
Trump, who was originally scheduled to attend a New Years Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, is expected to depart for Washington around 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT).
The White House hasn’t given any reason for the change, but it coincides with Trump’s fight with Congress over his veto of a major defense bill and his demand for greater COVID-19 stimulus controls, as well as an increase in tensions with Iran.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the House’s top Republican, dealt a likely death blow Wednesday to Trump’s proposal to boost coronavirus aid to Americans, and declined to schedule a quick vote. on a bill to increase relief checks to $ 2,000 from the $ 600 included in the aid package passed by Congress earlier this month.
Trump had increased pressure on fellow Republicans to endorse the biggest checks for struggling Americans in a series of tweets in recent days attacking Republican leaders as “pathetic” and accusing the party of having a ” death wish “if it did not increase. stimulus payments.
Republicans in Congress have largely stuck with Trump for four turbulent years, but the president is angry that they have not fully endorsed his claims of voter fraud in the Nov. 3 election won by Democrat Joe Biden.
Tensions among Republicans have been exacerbated by a second showdown over an effort in Congress to override Trump’s veto on a defense policy bill.
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 80-12 on Wednesday to begin debate on the issue, with another procedural vote scheduled for Friday. If successful, the effort would lead to the first override of Trump’s presidential veto.
The Democrat-controlled US House of Representatives voted Monday to overturn the veto of Trump’s defense bill.
Meanwhile, tensions between the United States and Iran have soared again.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday accused Washington of trying to fabricate a pretext to attack his country and vowed that Tehran would defend itself even if it did not seek war.
Two US B-52 bombers flew over the Middle East on Wednesday in what US officials said was a deterrent message to Iran ahead of the one-year anniversary of a US drone strike that killed Iranian senior general Qassem Soleimani.
(This story corrects a typo in the title.)
(Reporting by Jeff Mason and David Brunnstrom; Edited by Noeleen Walder and Paul Simao)
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