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
Headshot of Brian Aagaard

Brian Aagaard, Founder of Cooperhawk Business Brokers, is a seasoned professional with decades of experience across both corporate and privately held companies. After a long and successful career in the corporate and private sector world and having spent the last 10 years with one of Minnesota's leading business brokerages, Brian launched Cooperhawk to bring a personal, relationship-driven approach to business brokerage — one that prioritizes integrity, transparency, and the success of Main Street business owners. While its foundation is rooted in Main Street businesses, Cooperhawk also has the expertise to guide more complex transactions, reflecting a forward-looking vision for sustainable growth in the evolving business marketplace.

Genady Chybranov is at the helm of Sigma Software's dedicated Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) Centre of Excellence, where he leads a specialized team equipped with deep domain expertise in financial services. The Centre of Excellence excels in practically implementing complex technology transformation programs within the industry, ensuring our clients achieve their strategic objectives effectively. With over two decades of experience in technology-driven transformation, Genady has honed a particular focus on data and AI.

“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.

capitol-runner.jpg
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.