Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) said on Monday that the upper house would pass legislation that would increase stimulus checks from $ 600 to $ 2,000 on Tuesday, unless the movement is blocked by republicans.
Schumer’s comments came shortly after the House Democrats, accompanied by 44 of their Republican colleagues, passed the Supplemental Aid Care Act (CASH). President Donald Trump asked for checks to be increased last week, although he later signed legislation approving the lower amount. Democrats quickly agreed to seek the larger sum. However, there has been some resistance to the movement and it is unclear whether Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) And the rest of the Republican-controlled Senate will approve the measure.
“Tomorrow I will pass legislation in the Senate to quickly deliver Americans with $ 2,000 emergency checks. All Democratic senators advocate this much-needed increase in emergency financial relief, which can be passed tomorrow if no Republicans block it – there is no good reason for Senate Republicans to get in the way, “said Schumer, according to The hill.
“There is strong support for these $ 2,000 emergency checks from all over the country,” he added. “Leader McConnell must ensure that Senate Republicans do not stop helping to meet the needs of American workers and their families who cry out for help.”
Although resistance to increasing the payment may hinder his plans, Schumer plans to force the Senate to vote on the legislation. According to the rules of the chamber, any member can request a vote. However, approval must be unanimous for the maneuver to be successful, as any other member can also block the request.
If the House votes on the measure, it could force Republican senators to choose between proving loyalty to Trump and their own party’s traditional reluctance to increase government spending due to conservative fiscal policies.
Given that Congress was not unanimous in its support for stimulus checks of any value, Schumer’s effort to force a vote is expected to fail. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) Has already blocked two efforts to provide checks for $ 1,200 this month, insisting the amount was too high.
Support for the CASH Law was also far from unanimous in the House, with a vote of 275-134. The 130 House Republicans who voted against the increase have joined two independents and two Democrats who have broken out of the ranks, including Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), Who said Newsweek that the measure was “a gratuitous political gesture that threatens the future of our children to obtain short-term political gains”.
Newsweek contacted McConnell’s office for comment.
Tasos Katopodis / Getty