Republicans need to approve the $2,000 stimulus checks, President Donald Trump said Tuesday.
“Unless Republicans have a death wish, and it is also the right thing to do, they must approve the $2,000 payments ASAP. $600 IS NOT ENOUGH!” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter, his favored social media platform.
Trump posted after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked an attempt to pass a bill that would up the checks from $600 to $2,000.
McConnell did not explain why he blocked the legislation, known as the CASH Act. The House passed the bill late Monday, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made the request for unanimous consent from fellow senators.
A unanimous consent request avoids a recorded vote, but a request can be blocked by a single senator.
Forty-four Republican members joined Democrats in voting for the act in the House. With all Senate Democrats supporting the bill, 12 Republican senators are required to pass it, if it comes to a vote. Five so far have said they support it, including Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Read more…
