After several months of stalled negotiations, Congress finally provided a second round of stimulus checks. However, recent attempts to increase direct payments from $ 600 to $ 2,000 have been blocked in the Republican-controlled Senate. President-elect Joe Biden promised a third stimulus check after his inauguration on January 20, but can that happen?
The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began distributing the $ 600 checks after President Donald Trump signed the $ 900 billion bipartisan relief package for Congressional coronavirus approved last month.
Before signing the bill, Trump pushed to fatten the second check amount to $ 2,000. A measure to increase payments was passed by the House, but Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has repeatedly blocked an independent vote in the upper house.
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This month, a new Congress will be convened and Biden is due to open on January 20. The new president called the $ 600 checks “down payment” and said he would soon bring more direct payments to Americans struggling with the worsening pandemic.
Asked by a reporter on Dec. 23 whether the next COVID-19 relief package would include more direct payments, Biden said: “See, this is a negotiation issue. But it will, yes it will.”
Fiscally conservative Republicans limited the amount in the second round of checks, killing the proposal to increase payments to $ 2,000 because it allegedly sent “thousands of dollars to people who do not need help”. It is likely that McConnell could continue to block additional stimulus checks under Biden’s presidency if the Republican Party maintains control of the Senate.
However, if Georgia’s two Democratic candidates – Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff – beat Republican rulers – Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue – in the Senate’s second round on Tuesday, Republicans will lose control of the upper house and their ability to restrict Biden’s ability to pressure through his party’s agenda.
Democrats currently hold a small majority in the House and need only two more seats in the Senate for a 50-50 split. The vice-president-elect, Kamala Harris, would then give the casting vote. If they gain control of both chambers, Americans should expect additional checks in 2021.
Most Americans support more direct payments and blamed lawmakers for the lack of financial support amid the ongoing pandemic.
On Friday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was disfigured. The next morning, the home of Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell was also vandalized, with messages demanding checks for $ 2,000.
“Werewolves [sic] my money? “said a message left on McConnell’s door. Another said,” Mitch Kills Poor. “
Graffiti on Pelosi’s garage door said: “$ 2,000”, “We want it all” and “Cancel rent”.
Newsweek contacted Biden’s transition team for comment.