On Thursday, members of the progressive “squad” in the House presented their own bill to send $ 2,000 stimulus checks to Americans after President Trump demanded that the $ 600 checks included in the Congressional stimulus deal increased to that number.
The legislation was led by Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y .; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn .; and Pramila Jayapal D-Wash. It came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Said the House would meet on Monday to vote on independent legislation for $ 2,000 stimulus checks.
“In this holiday season, families are being forced to make incredibly difficult decisions, such as whether to keep the lights on or buy groceries,” Tlaib said in a statement. “Providing $ 2,000 survival checks would give those who are now fighting a lifeline as we continue to fight to defeat COVID-19. It is time for Trump to stop bluffing and put his party members on the line for the government can provide this long-awaited relief to people across the country during this time of great need. “
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, on the left, speaks during a panel discussion during a campaign event for Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent Vermont and 2020 presidential candidate in Clive, Iowa, USA, on Friday , January 31, 2020. Tlaib was one of the co-sponsors of a $ 2,000 stimulus check bill that was presented on Thursday. Photographer: Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Added Pressley: “We have been fighting all the time for strong survival controls to help people meet their most basic needs, and the broad support that has emerged is a testament to the power of the people and the urgency of this moment. $ 2,000 direct to cash assistance will help families overcome the crisis as we continue to strive for additional relief that meets the scale and scope of the pain that so many are feeling. We will resolve this. “
TOP DEM REVEALS ACCOUNT TO INCREASE COVERAGE STIMULATION CHECKS TO $ 2,000 AFTER TRUMP DEMAND
The bill for members of the “Squadron” is different from a separate bill introduced by Congressman Richard Neal, D-Mass., Which would do essentially the same thing. Neal’s bill would simply change the numbers on the coronavirus stimulus bill to $ 2,000 instead of $ 600, and would only take effect if the government stimulus and funding package that Congress recently sent to the president was sanctioned. The printed legislation was sent to Mar-a-Lago, where Trump is spending Christmas.
The “squadron” bill, however, is independent of the rest of the stimulus and directly changes the wording of the Internal Revenue Code as it currently stands after the stimulus that Congress passed earlier this year. Therefore, this bill could be approved on its own.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Is one of the sponsors of a bill to send Americans $ 2,000 stimulus checks, regardless of other coronavirus-related aid. (Reuters)
No matter what legislation the House passes on stimulus checks, it faces a difficult road ahead in the Senate. Republicans in the upper house were on a different page from the president’s during efforts to stimulate the coronavirus and were largely opposed to the $ 2,000 checks.
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Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican, said: “I would be surprised if we deal with” Democratic pressure for $ 2,000 checks.
Democrats will vote on Monday after 3 pm on major stimulus checks and will also vote to overturn Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act. House Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to provide the $ 2,000 checks in plenary on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Democrats have blocked an effort by the Republican Party to address the other part of Trump’s dual objections to the government spending package – foreign aid. Minority leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Accused Democrats of having a “selective audience” for wanting only to deal with checks and not foreign aid.
Trump’s apparent decision not to sign the massive stimulus for coronavirus and the government funding package that lawmakers sent him puts the government at risk of closing again.
The government is currently operating with a one-week interim bill that was only intended to give Trump time to sign the financing package, which members of Congress say he would.
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Trump could also use a rare pocket veto on legislation. The current session of Congress ends on January 3, which means that if Trump does not sign or veto spending and stimulus before then, it will essentially disappear into thin air, bringing Congress back to square one.
Some in Congress still expect Trump to sign the coronavirus aid package and government spending. But it is unclear exactly what the president’s plans are.
“I have no idea what he plans to do,” said Blunt on Thursday.
Jason Donner of Fox News contributed to this report.