Donald Trump Threatens to Veto COVID Relief Bill, Calls Out Congress' Pork Barrel Spending
Donald Trump President Threatens to Veto Relief Bill ... Calls Pork Barrel Spending 'A Disgrace'
Donald Trump has stunned everyone by blasting Congress for the relief bill they finally agreed on ... saying $600 checks are disgracefully low, and he wants a drastic reduction in the bill's extraneous spending.
This seemingly came out of nowhere. Trump was on the sidelines, silent as Congress negotiated the package. In fact, his aides said as late as Tuesday Trump would sign the bill.
Now, he wants $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for a couple ... amounts that were never on the table. It took Congress months to reach an agreement, and if Trump is serious about vetoing the bill there's no way relief is coming to Americans until after January 20.
However, in announcing his contempt for the bill, Trump called out Congress for filling the COVID-relief package with billions in relief to foreign countries and domestic programs that have nothing to do with pandemic losses.
For instance, $134 million to Burma, $85.5 mil to Cambodia, $1.3 billion for Egypt, $2.5 mil to count amberjack fish in the Gulf of Mexico, $3 mil in poultry production technology, $566 mil for FBI construction projects and on and on and on.
Trump's point ... spend less on that stuff, and give more to American citizens, restaurants and other small businesses.
Dems jumped on this -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said they'll bring the $2,000 direct payments to the floor Thursday for a vote by unanimous consent.
While some of his critics see this as Trump throwing a temper tantrum over losing the election, and taking it out on Americans -- he also put Congress on blast by fully exposing the disgusting expenditures that have nothing to do with providing relief to needy Americans.