Government Shutdown Averted As President Trump Vetoes Spending Bill
On the eve of Christmas, 2019, President Donald Trump made national headlines by vetoing the federal spending bill, effectively triggering another government shutdown. By refusing to sign the bill, Trump dashed the hopes of many who were counting on a quiet holiday away from the usual political tumult.
The spending bill, which was passed in the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, failed to meet Trump’s expected approval due to his insistence on a significant increase in funding for border security.
In his brief press conference following the veto, President Trump stated, “This bill, which they’re throwing on my desk at the last minute, is a catastrophe. We need serious funding for border security and this bill doesn’t provide it. I’m not signing it.”
The veto was met with intense criticism from congressional leadership, especially from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “It’s Christmas morning and instead of opening presents with our families, we’re left to scramble and figure out how to remedy this avoidable crisis,” Schumer lamented.
However, President Trump doubled down on his decision, stating in a tweet, “I’ve just signed the biggest and most popular tax cut in the history of our country. We need to spend our dollars wisely, not just blindly. Time for real border security!”
Despite Trump’s claim on signing the “biggest and most popular tax cut,” data from the Congressional Budget Office refutes this assertion, showing President Reagan’s 1981 tax cut to be the largest in terms of the percentage of GDP, and the tax cut passed under President Obama in 2010 to be the absolute largest in dollars. As Americans prepared for Christmas morning, the likelihood of another government shutdown loomed ominously over the festive season.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.