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Trump Budget Tag

President Donald Trump signed the massive $900 billion COVID relief bill and $1.4 trillion spending package, which Congress tied together for expediency, to keep the government funded through September.

The House of Representatives had less than 24 hours to review spending bills, totaling 2,000+ pages and worth $1.4 trillion, to keep the government fund through the next fiscal year. Despite the small time frame, the representatives passed the bill in order to avert a shutdown, which would have happened on Friday.

Remember that awful omnibus bill the government passed last month? The backlash was swift and strong. Apparently, lawmakers listened because reports suggest Trump and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) have started to look at ways to slash spending from the $1.3 trillion bill.

President Donald Trump has rolled out the budget for 2019, written by budget director Mick Mulvaney. While it demands cuts to federal spending, it avoids balancing the budget within 10 years. Infrastructure received the main point of the budget for $1.5 trillion and cutting red tape. Trump tweeted out that after the country spent $7 trillion in the Middle East, it's time to start investing in America.

On Thursday, Sen. Rand Paul succeeded in blocking a vote on the so-called Budget Deal (which we discussed thusly Wednesday). In so doing, the federal government shut down at 12:01 AM. An hour and a half later, the Senate invoked cloture, voted on the huge spending deal reached by both parties Wednesday evening, passing the bill with a vote of 71-28 (without bothering to debate it). Just before dawn it passed the House and heads to Trump for signature.

Wednesday afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Schumer announced the Senate had come to a budget agreement. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the deal “a significant bipartisan step forward.” The agreement keeps the government open for six weeks and provides two years of massive spending hikes.