Trump Sends Covid Relief Bill Back to Congress

U.S. President Donald Trump has sent back to Congress a Covid-19 relief bill that included language to ban the U.S. Post Office (USPO) from mailing vapor products. Deriding the bill as a “disgrace,” Trump called on Congress to increase stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000 and to get rid of “wasteful and unnecessary items.”

It was not immediately clear whether the president regards the USPO provision as wasteful or unnecessary.

Trump’s position could threaten to torpedo the carefully drafted bill—a move that could lead to a government shutdown and send the economy into a tailspin if he carried through with a veto. However, few observers expect the president’s message to prompt a renegotiation of the measure, which passed with big veto-proof majorities.

In addition to prohibiting USPO shipments, the Congress bill subjects e-cigarettes to other rules that currently govern online cigarette sales. Among other things, online retailers will be required to use private shipping services that collect an adult signature at the point of delivery, collect all applicable local and state taxes, and send each taxing state’s tax administrator a list of all transactions with customers in their state.

Critics said the legislation would place a considerable burden on vapor companies.