Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday criticized the House bill increasing stimulus payments to $ 2,000, which President Trump pushed alongside Democratic leaders, saying he is not targeted enough.
McConnell argued that giving $ 2,000 checks to high-income families who have not faced job losses is “socialism for wealthy people” … “a terrible way to help American families who are really struggling.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer asked the Senate to take into account the bill passed by the House to increase stimulus checks to $ 2,000, but McConnell objected.
“Once again, I will ask for consent for the Senate to set a deadline for voting on the House bill that will provide $ 2,000 in checks to the American people,” said Schumer.
Schumer argued that the Senate should approve the House bill to increase stimulus checks to $ 2,000, saying: “There is one way and only way to approve $ 2,000 checks before the end of the year: to approve the House bill … Either the Senate accepts and approves the House bill or Americans in distress will not receive checks for $ 2,000 during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. “
“The Republican leader has invented an excuse to avoid a clean vote, up or down, yes or no, on checks for $ 2,000 that reach the floor,” he said, adding that McConnell’s maneuver to combine direct payments with others unrelated issues “is intended to eliminate the possibility of $ 2,000 checks becoming law.”
McConnell on Tuesday introduced legislation that combined three Trump priorities – expanded stimulus checks, total repeal of online liability protections and an investigation into alleged electoral fraud – each of which is a prerequisite for Trump to sign the package. relief and spending from Covid earlier this week. Trump himself never specified that these three items should be tied.
But on Wednesday, McConnell said the House bill “lacked a realistic way to pass the Senate quickly,” and said the Democratic-led effort deviated from what Trump actually called for.
Where things are: There is no scheduled vote for McConnell’s bill or legislation passed by the House, and Republican Party aides say the 116th Congress is likely to end without any action on increasing direct payments.