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Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans in limbo as Trump rages

US President's refusal to sign a bipartisan package as he demands larger coronavirus relief checks could also force a federal government shutdown.

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President Donald Trump speaks about early results from the 2020 US presidential election in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Photo: Reuters

Alexandra Olson And Jill Colvin, Associated Press | PTI West Palm Beach, Florida

7 min read Last Updated : Dec 27 2020 | 5:32 AM IST

Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet were set to lapse at midnight Saturday unless President Donald Trump signed an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections.

Trump's refusal to sign the bipartisan package as he demands larger coronavirus relief checks and complains about “pork” spending could also force a federal government shutdown when money runs out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday in the middle of a pandemic.

“It’s a chess game and we are pawns,” said Lanetris Haines, a self-employed single mother of three in South Bend, Indiana,

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