...COVID bill vs. related continuation bill difference in my post because I knew someone would make this argument.

Regardless, the point is that the money is fungible. The original poster made a comment about the deficit. If that is the issue, then my response would be to cut unnecessary/counter-productive spending in one bill and add it to another bill (e.g., COVID relief) that would go directly to Americans. Congress didn't do that because it has no interest in cutting spending, period, and is more interested in grift than anything else. My belief is that America should spend money on Americans if it's going to be spending money at all.

As for Trump's complaints, he's complained about foreign aid for decades and would obviously line-item veto that spending if it were possible. Ditto for grants to states. That said, I'm not here to defend his signing bills like this, as he has done consistently -- both parties are horrendous when it comes to spending.