President threatens to torpedo Covid relief funding with additional demands

DONALD Trump has threatened to torpedo US congress’s Covid-19 relief package in the midst of a raging pandemic and economic slump, demanding changes which fellow Republicans have opposed.

The US President criticised the bipartisan $900 billion (£671bn) package in a video he tweeted on Tuesday night, and suggested he may not sign the legislation.

He called on members of US congress to increase direct payments for most Americans from $600 (£447) to $2,000 (£1,493) for individuals and $4,000 (£2,986) for couples.

Railing against a range of provisions in the bill, including for foreign aid, he told legislators to “get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation and to send me a suitable bill”.

Mr Trump did not specifically vow to veto the bill, and there may be enough support for the legislation in Congress to override him if he does.

However, if the President were to upend the bill, the consequences would be severe, including no federal aid to struggling Americans and small businesses, and no additional resources for vaccine distribution.

And as Congress linked the bill to an overarching funding measure, the government would shut down on December 29. The relief package was part of a hard-fought compromise bill that includes

$1.4 trillion (£1trn) to fund government agencies to September and contains other money for cashstarved transit systems, an increase in food stamp benefits and about $4bn (£2.9bn) to help other nations provide a Covid-19 vaccine.