CNBC's Eamon Javers reports on the latest news on the Democrats' push for $2,000 stimulus checks as part of the Covid-19 relief bill. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: [ Ссылка ]
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Tuesday attempt to increase direct payments in the year-end coronavirus relief bill to $2,000 by a unanimous vote.
The Kentucky Republican faces pressure to act after the House — with nearly all Democrats and a few dozen Republicans on board — voted Monday to boost the cash deposits to $2,000 from $600. Now, Senate Republicans wary of spending more on pandemic aid have to decide how to handle a vote on a bill backed by President Donald Trump and Democrats as they try to hold on to their majority.
McConnell brought the chamber back this week with one major goal: overriding Trump’s veto of the annual National Defense Authorization Act. He has not yet committed to bringing the $2,000 payment bill up for a vote, and it is unclear now how one would take shape.
Still, Democrats tried to use the limited tools at their disposal to force a vote. Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon, McConnell said he planned to set up a Wednesday vote on the veto override.
He outlined three priorities Trump said he wanted Congress to address when he signed the coronavirus relief and government spending bill into law Sunday: larger direct payments, Section 230 legal liability protections for internet platforms and unfounded concerns about widespread election fraud. Without detailing any specific plans, he said that “this week, the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus.”
Schumer then called for the Senate to vote on both the defense bill veto override and the $2,000 payments and “let the chips fall where they may.” When he asked for unanimous consent to increase the size of the checks, McConnell objected.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., then requested a vote on the larger payments after the NDAA vote Wednesday. McConnell again objected. Then, Sanders followed through on his threat to delay consideration of the veto override by objecting to a Wednesday vote.
As the Senate needs unanimous support to move quickly on most issues, any one senator can grind activity to a halt if they choose.
If the full chamber considers the stimulus check legislation, all 48 Democrats and independents who caucus with them would likely vote for it. It would then need support from 12 of the chamber’s 52 Republicans.
The Treasury Department has said the $600 payments will start going out as soon as this week. If Congress approves the increase to $2,000, it will then be added to the original sum.
As some GOP senators opposed the $900 billion in spending in the latest relief package, they may not support adding $463 billion — the Joint Committee on Taxation’s cost estimate for increasing the checks to $2,000 — to the price tag. However, several Republicans such as Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia have signaled they will support the $2,000 payments. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who called for $1,200 checks earlier in the negotiating process, might also vote for the increase to $2,000.
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