Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday pushed through the House bill by raising stimulus payments to $ 2,000, which President Trump has pushed alongside Democratic leaders, saying he is not well-directed.
McConnell argued that giving $ 2,000 checks to high-income households that have not suffered job losses is “socialism for rich people” … “a terrible way to help American families they are really fighting. ”
Meanwhile, Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer asked the Senate to pass the bill passed by the House to increase stimulus checks to $ 2,000, but McConnell opposed it.
“I will again ask for consent for the Senate to set a time to vote on the House bill to provide $ 2,000 checks to the American people,” Schumer said.
Schumer argued that the Senate should pass the House bill to increase stimulus checks to $ 2,000, and said, “There is a way and only one way to pass $ 2,000 checks before the end. of this year and that is to pass the House bill … Either the Senate takes and passes the House bill or troubled Americans will not receive $ 2,000 checks during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression “
“The Republican leader has invented an excuse to avoid a net vote, up or down, yes or no, of the $ 2,000 checks,” he said, adding that McConnell’s maneuver to combine direct payments with other unrelated issues. it was intended to kill the possibility of $ 2,000 checks becoming law. “
McConnell on Tuesday introduced legislation that combined three Trump priorities (expanded stimulus controls, complete repeal of online liability protections, and investigation into alleged election fraud), a prerequisite for Trump to sign the relief and spending package. of Covid earlier this week. Trump himself has never specified that these three elements should be linked.
But on Wednesday, McConnell said the House bill had “no realistic way to get through the Senate quickly” and said the Democratic-led effort was deviating from what Trump was really calling for.
Where are things: There are no planned votes on McConnell’s bill or on legislation passed by the House, and GOP aides say the 116th Congress is likely to come to an end with no action to increase direct payments.