The huge bill provides US$1.4 trillion (NZ$1.9 trillion) through September to finance government agencies and includes other end-of-session goals such as cash for cash-starved transportation networks and an expansion in benefits for food stamps.

The signing came after a day of vocal criticism from Republicans and Democrats at his private club in Florida over his opposition to the bipartisan deal, which passed the House and Senate by wide margins, with lawmakers thinking they had the support of Trump. His eleventh-hour requests had blindsided members of both parties, including a drive for larger aid checks and scaled-back spending. For millions trying to make ends meet, his resulting foot-dragging resulted in a lapse in unemployment insurance and threatened a government shutdown in the middle of a pandemic.

Signing the bill into law avoids another crisis of Trump's own making and, during the final days of his presidency, ends a standoff with his own party.

Beyond encouraging Democrats to press for the higher checks that his party rejects, it was unclear what Trump had done with his delay. In a speech, Trump repeated his frustrations with the Covid-19 relief bill for supplying most Americans with just US$600 (NZ$841) checks rather than the US$2,000 (NZ$2806) rejected by his fellow Republicans. He also protested about what he considered the government at large to be wasteful expenditure.

With a strong message that makes clear to Congress that unnecessary things need to be eliminated, I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package," Trump said in the statement."

Although the President insisted that "a redlined version" will be submitted to Congress with things to be excluded under the rescission process, those are merely recommendations to Congress. The bill will not actually be altered, as signed.

Lawmakers now have breathing space to begin exploring whether the relief reviews should be as broad as requested by the president. The Democratic-led House supports larger checks and is scheduled to vote on the issue on Monday, but the Republican-held Senate, where spending faces resistance, is likely to ignore it. For now, the administration can only start work by sending out payments of US$600 (NZ$841).

The decision by Trump to sign the bill into law was immediately welcomed by Republicans and Democrats.

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, said, "The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do a tremendous amount of good for battling Kentuckians and Americans around the nation who need support now. "For signing this relief into law, I thank the President."

"Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Speaker, called the signing "welcome news for the 14 million Americans who just lost the lifeline of Christmas Weekend unemployment insurance, and the millions more struggling to remain afloat through this historic pandemic and economic crisis.

But some slammed Trump's delay in turning the bill into law. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., in a tweet, accused Trump of "playing Russian roulette with American lives." For him, a familiar and comfortable location.

Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would give a vote in the Senate for Trump's plan for US$2,000 (NZ$2806) tests, putting Republicans on the spot.

The House is going to pass a bill to send $2,000 checks to Americans. "Schumer tweeted, "Then I can go on to approve it in the Senate. "No Democrats are going to object. Republicans in the Senate? ”

If President-elect Joe Biden takes office, Democrats are promising more help to come, but Republicans are signaling a wait-and-see approach.

Lawmakers today urged Trump to quickly sign the legislation in the face of increasing economic distress, spreading disease, and a looming shutdown, then have Congress follow up with additional assistance. In addition to unemployment insurance and family relief payments, funding for the delivery of vaccinations, enterprises, and more was on the line. Protections from evictions hung in the balance as well.

"It's incredibly cruel what the president is doing right now," said Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. "They're hurting so many people. ... It's very mad and this president finally has to... Do the best thing for the people of the United States and stop thinking about his ego.

Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey said he recognized that Trump "wants to be remembered for advocating for big checks, but the danger is that if he allows this to expire, he will be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior."

Toomey added: "So, as I said, I think the best thing to do is sign this and then make the case for subsequent laws."

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican who has denounced Trump's pandemic response and his attempts to reverse the election outcome, reiterated the same claim. He said, "I just gave up guessing what he might be doing next."

Illinois Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger said too much is at stake to "play this old switcheroo game" for Trump.

"The point I don't get," he said. "Why, I don't understand what's being done, unless it's just about creating chaos and showing power and getting angry because you lost the election."

Since Trump had turned on the offer, Washington had been reeling. Fingers pointed to officials of the administration, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, as legislators sought to grasp whether they were deceived about the status of Trump.