Yesterday President Donald Trump was less than pleased with the bipartisan bill sent to him by Congress and he let it be known.
“I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple,” Trump said in a video posted to Twitter Tuesday night.
Railing against a range of provisions in the bill, including for foreign aid, he told lawmakers to “get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation and to send me a suitable bill.”
Top Democrats in Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said they would support getting bigger checks to people.
Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the President wanted for direct checks. At last, the President has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it! https://t.co/Th4sztrpLV
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 23, 2020
CNBC reported that House Democrats will attempt to pass a standalone bill for $2,000 direct payments on Thursday, though it is unclear whether this would pass a Republican-led Senate, or even receive the unanimous consent necessary in the House.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was left speechless and at a loss at what to do next. The bill that is going to President Trump’s desk for signing was passed by a veto-proof margin in the House and the Senate.
But Trump still has plenty of sway with the GOP Senate but is his asking for more money going to move the lawmakers to open the checkbooks even more than some wanted in the first place?
We will see how this plays out.
This is an ongoing story.
