GOP blocks Democrats’ bid for $2K payments Trump demanded

House Republicans blocked Democrats’ attempt to meet President Donald Trump’s demand to pay most Americans $2,000 to help weather the coronavirus pandemic.

House Republicans blocked Democrats’ attempt to meet President Donald Trump’s demand to pay most Americans $2,000 to help weather the coronavirus pandemic.

Republicans objected to the bill House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer sought to pass by unanimous consent Thursday to replace the $600 payments in the latest pandemic relief legislation with the $2,000 payments.

CORONAVIRUS IMPACT: ADDITIONAL COVERAGE
Fitzpatrick-Evan-Suralink

Evan Fitzpatrick is the CEO of Suralink. Previously, Fitzpatrick served as the chief product officer at AuditBoard, where he oversaw company strategy and product development. During his tenure at AuditBoard, he also served as SVP and general manager of the IT risk and compliance product line, overseeing product strategy and development as well as go-to-market and customer success. Prior to that, he spent 10 years at Bain Capital as an operating partner and executive, working with portfolio company management teams to drive transformational growth. Fitzpatrick has a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting from Brigham Young University.

Christina Powers

Christina Powers is a Partner in West Monroe's Cybersecurity practice. She leads the firm's Cybersecurity Advisory for Private Equity (CAPE) program, helping private equity firms and their portfolio companies maintain visibility into cybersecurity practices and risks. Christina also conducts cybersecurity due diligence for potential acquisitions, supporting investment decisions and operational resilience.

 She brings deep experience in cybersecurity strategy, with a focus on risk mitigation and identity and access management. Prior to joining West Monroe, Christina worked in Accenture's Technology Consulting Security practice. She holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and has completed executive education at the Yale School of Management.

Bepi Pezzulli is an associate professor in the MBA program at University Canada West as well as a solicitor of the senior courts of England & Wales, specializing in cryptofinance.

“House and Senate Democrats have repeatedly fought for bigger checks for the American people, which House and Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected — first, during our negotiations when they said that they would not go above $600 and now, with this act of callousness on the Floor,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Thursday.

Democrats will try again with a roll call vote on a new bill Dec. 28, when the House also plans a vote to override Trump’s veto on the National Defense Authorization Act. Since current government spending runs out that day — and funds for the rest of the fiscal year are included in the virus relief bill Trump criticized and hasn’t signed -- the House could also pass another stopgap measure to avert a partial government shutdown.

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A runner stands near the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg

Republicans on Thursday tried to seek unanimous consent on a measure to examine taxpayer money spent on foreign aid, but Democrats blocked that move. In his complaint Tuesday about Congress’s combined virus aid and government spending bill, Trump criticized federal resources spent on international programs, even though that spending was allocated as part of the bipartisan appropriations process.