Senator Mitch McConnell effectively renounced any change that Congress would increase the amount of stimulus checks to $2,000 prior to President Donald Trump's exit from office. He stated there was "no realistic path" for the Senate to pass a stand-alone bill.
McConnell Dashes Hopes For $2,000 COVID-19 Relief
Majority leader McConnell affirmed on Wednesday that lawmakers would merely consider an omnibus bill that involved the $2,000 checks and two other issues that President Trump has demanded Congress to address: probing into the integrity of the 2020 presidential election and invalidate legal protections for social media platforms.
The Senate Majority Leader turned down the push for the Senate to pass the said bill, remarking instead that the increased direct payments would remain associated with nixing legal protection for internet companies and developing a commission to evaluate election integrity.
According to McConnell, "Here is the deal. The Senate is not going to split apart the three issues that President Trump linked together just because Democrats are afraid to address two of them," reported CBS News.
He continues that the Senate "is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into the hands of Democrats' rich friends who don't need the help."
He further said the Senate would not consider the approval for increased stimulus checks for Americans as a stand-alone issue, indicating the matter should be regarded as part of a package that involves repeal of legal protections for technological companies and probing into election security -- demands by the incumbent president.
By itself, the Democratic proposal to approve $2,000 stimulus checks reportedly has no tangible path to pass the Senate, reported Yahoo.
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With days left on the legislative calendar, including remarkable business pending on the Senate floor, McConnell said that senators would not vote on a House-passed stimulus bill. This renders it almost impossible for lawmakers to broker a compromise before the end of 2020.
This stance threatened to carry broad political consequences, coming a day following Trump saying it would be a "death wish" for Republicans if they did not bolster stimulus payments beyond the $600 authorized as part of a wider $900 billion relief package signed into law previously this week.
McConnell and Senate Republicans finished off any impending chance of approving the increased stimulus checks, ending efforts from Trump and Democratic leaders to approve broader direct payments as the congressional term comes to its conclusion.
When asked if the checks issue is done until the next time Congress convenes on January 3, according to Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), "Under the circumstances, I think that's likely true. Democrats are not willing to consider any other pieces of any other provisions in the bill, whether it's Section 230 or whether it's liability relief provision," reported Politico.
McConnell stated the only path forward is to merge the increased stimulus payments with two policies that Trump also demanded Congress examine is through the Repealing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which enables certain legal protections for big tech companies, and initiating a commission to assess the 2020 presidential election after Trump's allegations of voter fraud.
