GOP rejects $2000 stimulus checks, another vote to happen on Monday

President Trump was not happy with the latest stimulus proposal on multiple fronts.

One of his biggest objections was that the $600 stimulus checks were not big enough to meet the needs of Americans struggling due to the pandemic.

So he refused to sign the new funding bill into law and also called out lawmakers to pass $2,000 stimulus checks.

The Democrats listened and decided to hold a pro forma session today on Christmas Eve. (This is a brief meeting of the chamber where only a few members attend.)

Democrats wanted to approve the new changes by unanimous consent which means that the initiative can be blocked with only one person objecting.

Representative Steny Hoyer offered the proposal from the House floor and it did not take long for it to be blocked by House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

Republicans also attempted to get Democrats to reconsider certain aspects of the proposal related to foreign aid but that was blocked by Democrats.

So does this mean that the push for $2,000 stimulus check is over?

Not quite.

It looks like things will head into next week as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would hold a full recorded vote on the proposal for $2,000 checks on Monday.

“If the President is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction,” Pelosi said.

At this point, it’s difficult to tell if there is a real possibility of $2,000 checks getting passed.

That’s because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and McCarthy (the top two Republicans in Congress), haven’t said much about Trump’s wish for bigger checks.

Some Republicans have come out in support of larger stimulus checks but it has hardly been a consensus among the GOP so something would have to give.

We know that some Republicans do not like the amount of foreign aid going out and perhaps that could be a trade-off for higher stimulus checks as the final negotiations take place.

I really hope that something does happen over the weekend because if not then will makers have essentially just wasted an extra week of time and have delayed much needed benefits I necessarily.

H/T

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