The federal lower house does not reach unanimous agreement to increase controls for citizens

Washington DC The United States House of Representatives on Thursday failed to achieve the necessary unanimity to change the economic stimulus law and increase the check for citizens from $ 600 to $ 2,000, after President Donald Trump threatened to veto the legislation.

First, the Democrats – through majority leader Steny Hoyer (Maryland) – presented a proposal in the room this morning to raise the federal check to $ 2,000. The measure could not go through because it did not have the approval of the leader of the Republican minority, Kevin McCarthy (California).

In response, Republicans presented a McCarthy amendment to include all of the president’s demands, not only to increase the value of direct aid to citizens, but also to increase the funds for foreign aid included in the 2021 Budget Act. to decrease. nod from the Democrats, that amendment did not advance either.

“On Christmas Eve morning, Republicans in the House of Representatives cruelly stripped the American people of the $ 2,000 the president wanted to support. If the president is serious about direct payments of $ 2,000, he must ask House Republicans to end his obstruction, ”said speaker Nancy Pelosi.

With both amendments rejected, the lower house is sunk until Monday, when a formal session will be held to override the President of Trump’s veto on the defense spending bill and formally consider the Democratic amendment to raise $ 600 . a check for $ 2,000 to citizens.

Trump has the option of giving a pocket veto to the budget bus that includes the economic stimulus, which could allow that legislation to lapse during this session that closes on Jan. 2.

However, if no new budget resolution is passed, the federal government may have to partially close at midnight on Monday. In addition, it is estimated that as of Saturday, about 12 million unemployed people will use up the benefits that the economic stimulus project aims to expand.

Moreover, the federal moratorium on evictions will expire at the end of this month.

In a video released Tuesday, Trump threatened not to sign or veto the budget bus containing legislation to stimulate the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, if not amended to increase citizens’ checks from $ 600 to $ 2,000, and aid funds are eliminated to countries that are, as always, part of the budget proposal.

Trump’s statements affected not only members of Congress but also senior White House officials. Hours before Trump’s message, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who had negotiated the economic stimulus measure with Congressional leaders, had praised its passage.