Trump signs $1.3tr spending bill into law

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday said he has signed Congress´ massive $1.3 trillion spending bill into law, funding the government through Sept. 30 and averting a government shutdown hours before funding was scheduled to lapse. The signing came hours after Trump had threatened to veto the measure. It includes large increases in military and non-defense spending, and ends Congress´ long struggle to fund federal agencies since last autumn and allows lawmakers to now focus on November´s midterm congressional election.

Earlier, Trump provoked a fresh political crisis Friday, threatening to veto an already approved budget and shut down the federal government. The US leader was to address the media at the White House after he appeared to reverse his support for the $1.3 trillion spending bill, amid unfavorable television coverage.

Trump’s administration had categorically said he supported the deal brokered by the Republican controlled Congress and passed in a dead-of-night vote, claiming it as victory before the 71-year-old’s change of heart. Many lawmakers have already left Washington for two weeks recess, so a renegotiation is unlikely.