Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ long-awaited attempt to pressure the US Senate to vote on $ 2,000 stimulus checks, an increase endorsed by President Donald Trump over the original $ 600 stimulus checks Trump signed on Sunday , may have a negative effect on Senators Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and David Perdue, both running for a special election for their seats in January.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell asked the Senate on Tuesday to vote to overturn Trump’s veto on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which details the funding of all U.S. defense operations. Sanders objected to McConnell’s request. When Sanders said he wanted the Senate to vote on $ 2,000 stimulus checks, McConnell objected. Sanders’ decision to postpone the vote on the annulment of the veto could keep the Senate in session until January 1.
Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey said in plenary statements on Tuesday that he agreed with Sanders. “We should vote,” said Markey. “It must be yes or no and we must do that before the end of this year.”
In a tweet on Tuesday, Sanders made it clear what was at stake in the vote. “Today @SenMarkey and I demanded a $ 2,000 vote for workers,” Sanders tweeted on Tuesday. “It’s simple – no vote, no New Year’s break for senators.”
Today @SenMarkey and demanded a vote of $ 2,000 for workers. It’s simple – no vote, no New Year’s break for senators.
– Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) December 29, 2020
Newsweek contacted Sanders and Perdue offices for comment.
Jemal Countess / Getty Images for Care In Action / Getty
Staying in Washington could keep Loeffler and Perdue out of public view during the days leading up to Georgia’s runoff on January 5. Both Democratic candidates – Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock – have already expressed support for the $ 2,000 stimulus checks. Loeffler and Perdue, both of whom aligned themselves closely with Trump, did not express public support for the higher stimulus checks until Tuesday.
In an interview on Tuesday with Fox News, Perdue said he was “delighted” to support Trump’s request for $ 2,000 stimulus checks.
“This appropriation that we’re talking about now brings money for vaccine distribution, to our hospitals, our schools, and helps us get our lives back to normal,” said Perdue. “So what the president is trying to do is make sure it gets done. He doesn’t believe there can be another step in a few more months. He wants to do that now.”
“I was with the president 100 percent of the time,” Loeffler told Fox News on Tuesday. “I am proud to do that and I absolutely said, we need to bring relief to Americans now and I will support that.”
Jessica McGowan / Getty
The two Democratic Senate candidates in Georgia made $ 2,000 stimulus checks a focal point in their respective campaigns. Ossoff and Warnock criticized Loeffler and Perdue’s sudden support for increased direct payments on Tuesday. “Perdue doesn’t care if it’s $ 600 or $ 2,000,” tweeted Ossoff. “He would vote for $ 0 if it meant he would win. And just as easily he will change his mind the minute the election is over.”
“You could have received a $ 2,000 relief check this week if @KLoeffler hadn’t stopped in relief for nine months,” tweeted Warnock.
You could have received a $ 2,000 relief check this week, if @KLoeffler he hadn’t paralyzed relief for nine months.
– Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) December 29, 2020
According to FiveThirtyEight, survey averages indicate a close dispute in Georgia. On Tuesday, Perdue held 48% of support, while Ossoff lost with 47.6% of support. Warnock had 48.2% of votes, against Loeffler’s 47.7%.
Many Georgians have already voted. Information from the US Elections Project shows that 2,337,477 voters in Georgia participated in the early vote, a number that translates to 30.2% of all registered voters in the state.
McConnell and other Republicans are counting on at least one Republican Party victory in Georgia’s election to retain control of the Senate. If Ossoff and Warnock win their elections, the Senate will be divided equally between Republicans and Democrats. Democrats would have an advantage over President-elect Joe Biden’s next administration, as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would become president of the Senate. Any tiebreaker vote would be cast by Harris.