The US House of Representatives voted on a bill to increase it on Monday $ 600 Incentive Vouchers up to $ 2,000, with 275 members voting in favor of the bill and 134 against. The bill received the necessary two-thirds majority of the voting members to be passed in the House of Representatives.
But it faces an uncertain future in the Senate, which also requires a two-thirds majority to send the bill to President Trump’s office. Senate leader Mitch McConnell has not indicated whether he will cast a vote on the larger checks.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a supporter of $ 2,000 checks, called on McConnell to take the vote to the floor. He tweeted that if McConnell does not vote, he will object to the vote to override Mr. Trump’s veto on the defense finance bill. While Sanders cannot prevent the veto from being lifted, he can abolish it after New Year’s Day – which would give the GOP a lot of headaches.
Trump last week urged Congress to raise stimulus checks to $ 2,000, and threatened not to sign the COVID-19 emergency economic aid package that got Americans $ 600 checks. But on Sunday night, the president admitted and signed the legislation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi immediately jumped on checks for $ 2,000 at the urging of the president, setting Monday’s vote on the House floor.
Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images
Nearly all Democrats have voted in favor of the legislation to increase controls, and most of the members who voted against the increase are Republican.
A handful of Senate Republicans, including Senator Josh Hawley and Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham, have backed the idea of greater stimulus controls for all Americans, but it is likely to meet with friction from the more fiscally conservative members of the party.
This is a story in progress and will be updated.
—Kimberly Brown contributed to reporting.