WASHINGTON – A long-delayed $19.1 billion disaster aid bill sailed through the House on Monday and headed to President Donald Trump for his expected signature, overcoming months of infighting, misjudgment and a feud between Trump and congressional Democrats. Conservative Republicans held up the bill during the break, objecting on three occasions to efforts by Democratic leaders to pass the bill by a voice vote requiring unanimity. The Senate passed the bill by a sweeping 85-8 vote on its way out of Washington May 23, a margin that reflected a consensus that the bill is long overdue. The measure was initially held up over a fight between Trump and Democrats over aid to Puerto Rico that seems long settled. The bill started out as a modest $7.8 billion measure passed in the last days of House GOP control.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 03, 2019 23:03 UTC