Democrats across the board, including Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer, are backing President Donald Trump’s latest push for $2,000 stimulus checks
The president on Tuesday, December 22, threatened to veto the $900 billion stimulus package approved by Congress the day before — citing the “ridiculously low” $600 checks included for eligible individuals and children. In a turn of events, Schumer and other top Congressional Democrats are now voicing their support for Trump’s latest stimulus demand — turning the pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to give the final nod of approval.
According to Newsweek, “The top Republican in the Senate and two Republican senators in Georgia in reelection runoffs have leaned on smaller payments to Americans during the stimulus bill battle. Now, the party leader has said otherwise.”
Schumer took to Twitter late Tuesday, December 22, to taunt McConnell on the new proposal, writing:
“I’m in. Whaddya say, Mitch? Let’s not get bogged down with ideological offsets and unrelated items and just DO THIS! The American people deserve it.”
The House of Representatives and Senate on Monday approved a $900 billion stimulus package, breaking a months-long stalemate over the overall price tag. The package includes another round of direct payments and a weekly $300 federal unemployment supplement for 11 weeks, Business Insider said.
The relief proposal was combined “with a $1.4 trillion government funding omnibus bill, which includes a wide range of provisions — including making illegal streaming a felony,” the outlet continued.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed Schumer’s sentiments, saying Democrats “are ready to bring this to the Floor this week.”
Yahoo! Money said Trump’s latest remarks indicate a potential complication in reaching a stimulus deal in the near future, writing:
The president didn’t say whether he’ll veto the bill, which would then require a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress for the bill to become law. Complicating matters is that the bill is attached to another piece of legislation to keep the government funded. If Trump doesn’t sign the conjoined pair, the government faces a potential shutdown on December 28.
Here’s what you need to know:
Trump Described Portions of the $900 Billion Deal as ‘Wasteful Spending’
In a video posted to his Twitter account, Trump slammed the $900 billion stimulus package as insufficient in meeting the needs of the American public struggling financially amid the pandemic.
He called parts of the deal “wasteful spending.”
“The bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated,” Trump expressed in the Tuesday, December 22, video. “I’m also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill.”
Trump demanded Congress increase the stimulus check amount included in the proposal from $600 to $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 “for a couple.”
Under the new bill, $600 payments are slated per individual and $600 per child. Those who made more than $75,000 in 2019 are expected to receive less, CNBC said.
“Individuals including children will receive $600 in direct payments. A family of four could end up with $2,400,” according to the outlet. “The payments decrease for people who made more than $75,000 during 2019. They would phase out completely for people who made above $99,000 that year.”
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Said Americans Should Expect to See Their Stimulus Checks as Early as Next Week
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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday, December 21, on CNBC that the $600 payments will be administered at the beginning of next week.
“People are going to see this money at the beginning of next week,” Mnuchin said, according to the outlet. “It’s very fast.”
The easiest stimulus checks to process will be sent out first, if the Treasury follows the same distribution pattern used for the first round of checks executed under the March CARES Act, according to Forbes.
“The first round of payments will go to those for whom the IRS has bank account details on file and can remit funds via direct deposit,” Forbes said. “Even better, most Americans won’t have to take any additional action to receive their $600 check. The IRS will use information from their 2019 or 2018 tax return to facilitate payment.”
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