Trump Yields on Virus Package, Signing After Damaging Delay
- Aid sent, shutdown averted when Trump signs $2.3 trillion bill
- GOP faces tough vote on Trump demand for $2,000 checks
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President Donald Trump backed away from a crisis of his own making by signing a pandemic relief bill Sunday night, but only after depriving millions of Americans of a week of unemployment aid and triggering an outcry from lawmakers in both political parties.
By waiting until Sunday to approve the package, Trump cost as many as 14 million Americans one week of expanded unemployment assistance. Meanwhile, Trump’s surprise attack on the bill last week caused confusion about the government’s response at a pivotal moment, with coronavirus cases spiking and officials rushing to distribute a vaccine.