President Donald Trump opened a can of worms in Georgia politics in his quest to more than triple the dollar amount in direct checks that lawmakers agreed to send to Americans, Republican researcher and political adviser Frank Luntz told CNBC on Tuesday. -market.
After threatening to leave a general spending package that included Covid’s $ 900 billion relief measure languishing in Congress for his discontent with the $ 600 stimulus checks, Trump signed the bill on Sunday. However, he joined the Democrats on a rare occasion in asking for $ 2,000 in payments to citizens.
“The president made a very smart decision by agreeing to sign [the] legislation, “said Luntz in” Squawk Box “.” He made a very bad decision when opening $ 2,000 personal checks because it will cause a nightmare for those two Republican senators to vote against Donald Trump or against conservatives in his state. “
With most Republicans and conservatives not in favor of the proposal to increase payments, this caused a storm within the party, as Georgia voters voted for a critical Senate runoff next week.
The question forces Republicans to consider whether to increase their national debt or deny Americans a financial increase in the face of the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who is completing the term of retired senator Johnny Isakson, are struggling to remove two Democratic opponents from their seats in the second round of January 5. The Senate disputes, which will decide the majority in the House, have drawn a lot of attention. The GOP holds a 52-48 lead in the Senate. If Democrats win both contests in Georgia, it will create a 50-vote tie, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker after she takes office on January 20.
Trump’s push to increase stimulus checks has complicated disputes in the generally reliable state in red, and the complication can be seen in Loeffler’s comments on the matter on Fox News early Tuesday morning. After the Democratic-controlled House voted with the support of 44 Republicans to increase direct payments to $ 2,000, the move is likely to face an uphill battle in the Senate, despite Trump’s support.
When asked whether she would support the bill to increase payments, Loeffler spoke widely about her support for the president, but did not explicitly say whether she was in favor of increasing direct payment.
“The president has been fighting for our country from day one. He continues to fight for every American,” she said. “I was with the president 100% of the time. I am proud to do that, and I said, we absolutely need to bring relief to the Americans now and I will support that.”
In a later appearance on the news channel, Perdue gave a more committed response to illustrate his position on the matter, saying he supports Trump’s request to increase spending.
“Look, this should have been done four months ago,” he said. “I am very happy to support the president in his $ 2,000, it is really an increase of $ 1,400 compared to what we have already done and I think with the arrival of the vaccine, I think this is absolutely appropriate, so I fully support what president is doing it right now. “
This marks a reversal for Perdue, who opposed sending stimulus checks earlier this year, before speaking out in favor of paying $ 600 as part of the latest spending package.
Although Trump said the Senate “will start the process” in a vote to increase the dollar value of checks, it is unclear whether Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who has been the target of the president’s anger after his election in November loss, will schedule a vote.
In a statement on Sunday, the Kentucky Republican praised Trump’s decision to sign the $ 900 billion aid package, but did not mention the president’s request.
With a week to go for the second round in Georgia, Luntz said the Republican Party is making a “smart decision” to continue to strategize in the state. Trump, who spent the holiday season playing golf in Florida, is expected to visit Dalton, Georgia, on Monday, the eve of the election, hoping to give a boost to Loeffler and Perdue.
President-elect Joe Biden and Harris visited the state to support candidates Raphael Warnock, who is challenging Loeffler, and Jon Ossoff, who faces Perdue. None of the candidates received the required 50% limit to win the seats in the November general election, forcing a second round in each race.
“Donald Trump is needed in Georgia to ensure that those two [seats] stay republican, “said Luntz.
Dalton is about 145 kilometers north of Atlanta and will be the key to the Republican’s chances of staying in those seats, he added.
“Getting a big turnout can offset what is happening in Atlanta and the suburbs of Atlanta,” said Luntz of the area that helped turn the state over to Biden. “I must give them credit for making the right geographical choice, but the fact [is] that the president just fell [to campaign in Georgia] twice.”
Luntz said that 3% of Trump voters in the state do not want to participate in the second round, citing their distrust of the political system after the 2020 election. Trump refused to grant the race to Biden, weeks after the Electoral College voted to confirm the results. results of the presidential race.
“Frankly, he’s playing golf in Florida. He should get on his helicopter, get on Air Force One, fly to Georgia, even without warning, because the president still has an impact,” said Luntz. “He can still train voters who would not vote for anyone else, and they will need him.”