Both houses of Congress recently passed a new round of the Chinese Communist virus (Wuhan pneumonia) epidemic relief bill. Donald Trump, who believes the bill gives too little money to Americans and too much to foreign countries, retweeted his own 2014 joke about “aliens” on Wednesday (Dec. 23).
“I hope we never find life on another planet. Because no doubt the U.S. government would have to give them money (if they did)!” he wrote in a message on June 4, 2014.
The day before, the president said he would veto a new round of Chinese Communist virus outbreak relief and government spending bills just passed by Congress unless lawmakers strip several foreign aid programs from it, including giving Pakistan $10 million for its transgender program.
“Congress finds a lot of money for foreign countries, lobbyists and special interests while giving away the bare minimum to the American people who need it (money). It’s not their (Americans’) fault, it’s China’s (Communist Party of China’s) fault, not their (U.S. government’s) fault.” The president said in a video recorded in the White House diplomatic reception room.
“I’m asking Congress to amend this bill to raise the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple.” He said, “I also demand that Congress immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items in this legislation and send me a proper bill or the next administration will have to deliver a COVID (Chinese Communist Virus) bailout, and maybe that administration will be me and we’ll get it done.”
Democratic leaders were quick to accept Trump’s proposal to raise the amount of the economic bailout check to $2,000, but did not address his request to take foreign aid out of the bill.
Foreign aid appropriations often appear in congressional spending bills, but Trump has been adamant about reducing spending. In his 2021 budget proposal, released in February, the president called for a 21 percent reduction in foreign aid spending.
“It’s a disgrace. Take this 5,000-plus page bill that no one in Congress has read because of its length and complexity. It is called the COVID (Chinese Communist Virus) Relief Act, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID (Chinese Communist Virus). This bill contains $85.5 million for aid to Cambodia; $134 million for aid to Burma; and $1.3 billion for aid to Egypt and the Egyptian military.” The president said the Egyptian military is going to buy “almost all Russian military equipment.”
Trump also complained that large amounts of money are being apportioned to agencies that seem unrelated to the U.S. fight against the Chinese Communist virus. He listed a long list of projects to support his view.
“$40 million for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., which isn’t even open; $1 billion for the Smithsonian; and an additional $154 million for the National Gallery of Art. Again, these facilities remain largely unopened.”
The president continued, “$7 million for coral reef fish management; $25 million for Asian carp control; $2.5 million to count lobster fish in the Gulf of Mexico, which is used to promote fish reproduction in federal hatcheries; $3 million for poultry production technology; $2 million to study the effects of tree cutting, and $566 million for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) construction projects.”
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