Trump Signs Pandemic State Budget To Prevent Government Shutdown

Presiden AS Donald Trump (Instagram/@realdonaldtrump)

JAKARTA - The President of the United States (US) Donald Trump on Sunday, December 27 signed the pandemic assistance law (UU) and a spending budget of 2.3 trillion dollars - equivalent to Rp32,530 trillion, preventing the "government shutdown" that could occur if congress failed to pass budget legislation.

The budget package includes $ 1.4 trillion - around Rp.19,823 trillion - in state agency funding. If Trump doesn't sign it, a partial "government shutdown" will occur on Tuesday, December 29 tomorrow - putting millions of government employees at risk.

Trump, who is due to finish his term on January 20, 2021, backed off from threats not to sign the laws passed by congress last week after he came under pressure from legislators. It's not clear why Trump finally changed his mind.

But his rejection of the enormous budget package may create new chaos in the end of his presidency. White House officials did not comment on Trump's decision. But a source related to the matter said a number of advisers had urged Trump to soften because they saw no advantage in resistance.

"Good news for the COVID-19 Relief Act. More information will follow!" Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday, December 27 without giving further details.

President Trump previously asked Congress to increase the amount of the stimulus fund for Americans, from $ 600 to $ 2,000 - from about Rp. 8.5 million to Rp. 28 million. Democrats in Congress agreed to the $ 2,000 proposal, but some Republicans rejected it.

While many economists agree that financial assistance in the law must be higher in order to get the economy moving again, immediate assistance for residents who have been hit by the lockdown rules is still urgently needed. Unemployment aid is being paid to around 14 million people through the pandemic program, whose process began on Saturday, December 26 but will restart after Trump signs the pandemic aid law.