Republican congressman singlehandedly blocks $19 billion disaster aid bill backed by Trump

May 24-- May 24--A tinhorn Texas Republican shot himself in the foot Friday by single-handedly derailing a $19.1 billion aid package that would have helped thousands of people in his own state and millions of other Americans rocked by natural disasters.

Democratic leaders in the House had hoped to swiftly approve the massive aid bill via a fast-track process known as unanimous consent, but Texas Rep. Chip Roy -- whose hurricane-ravaged Lone Star State would have benefited from the disaster dollars -- stood in the way in a self-defeating move of Trumpian proportions.

"It's a bill that includes nothing to address the clear national emergency and humanitarian crisis we face at our southern border," the freshman conservative said from the floor before formally entering his objection, meaning the measure won't be taken up again until June 3 at the earliest, when lawmakers return from Memorial Day recess.

Unanimous consent, as the phrase implies, requires all present members to approve in order for a measure to pass.

But while his objection echoed President Trump's long-held claim of a "crisis" on the U.S.-Mexico border, Roy put himself at odds with the president in blocking the disaster aid.

Trump had in fact just a day earlier affirmed he supported the bill even though it didn't include his requested $4.5 billion for beefed up security and immigration services at the southern border amid a surge of asylum applicants.

"I didn't want to hold it up any longer," Trump said at the White House. "I totally support it."

Roy's disaster aid defiance came on the heels of a similar foot-in-mouth maneuver by Trump.

The self-professed master dealmaker president stormed out of a meeting with Democratic leaders on Wednesday, during which they were supposed to figure out how to fund a $2 trillion infrastructure plan.

Trump, who has touted the now-scuttled plan as one of his key priorities, contended he won't work with Democrats on the jobs-rich legislation until they stop investigating him and his embattled administration.

Democrats have made clear that's not happening and blamed Trump for the failed infrastructure stride.

The aid package stalled by Roy -- which passed the Senate in a 85-8 vote Thursday following months of partisan bickering -- would have bankrolled recovery efforts for Midwestern states drenched by spring floods, wildfire-scorched parts of California and hurricane-ravaged parts of Florida, North Carolina, Texas and Puerto Rico, among other states.

Democrats rapidly ripped Roy over his unexpected move.

"(The) last-minute sabotage of an overwhelmingly bipartisan disaster relief bill is an act of staggering political cynicism," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement. "Every day of Republican obstruction, more disasters have struck, more damage has piled up and more families have been left in the cold."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who had just one day earlier expressed optimism after the bipartisan bill passed the Senate, took a shot at Trump after the House failure, referencing the president's recent infrastructure-related temper tantrum.

"This week proved the president wrong," Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. "Congress can and should work on bipartisan bills that benefit working American families, and we Democrats will continue to work on this, regardless of the circumstances."

Once lawmakers return from Memorial Day break, the House will have to formally debate the aid bill before voting on it.

The Democratically-controlled chamber is all but certain to eventually approve the measure, but Roy's blockade ensures Americans struck by disaster will have to wait just a little bit longer for help.

Some lawmakers saw Roy's power play as the essence of what's rotten in Washington.

"No wonder that the public holds Congress in such low esteem," Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) tweeted after Roy put the aid on ice. "Folks have been hurting for months because of politics, and now this."

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