United States President Donald Trump on Sunday promised a Good News on a massive Covid-19 relief bill that he has hitherto refused to sign, but did not give more details as millions of Americans stressed through the pandemic faced the loss of unemployment advantages.
During his Christmas vacation at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, he expressed through twitter handle, without elaborating further: "Good news on Covid Relief Bill. Information to follow!" For nearly a week, Trump has refused to sign the USD900 billion relief package approved tremendously by Congress following months of negotiation, calling it a "disgrace."
Two federal unemployment benefit programs approved in March as part of an initial Covid relief plan expired at midnight on Saturday, cutting off an estimated 12 million Americans, according to The Century Foundation think tank.
The delay also threatened to provoke a government shutdown by Tuesday since the relief package is part of a larger spending bill, though lawmakers could approve another temporary extension to keep the government open.
The relief package, passed by Congress on December 21, would extend those benefits as well as others set to expire in the days ahead. But Trump has pushed for the US600 direct payments to US taxpayers spelled out in the bill to be more than tripled, and argued the legislation included too much excess spending on unrelated programs.
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