Watch McConnell when he opens the Senate floor. Notably, the majority leader has not made any public assurances about how he plans to settle checks for $ 2,000, despite Trump’s insistence on getting a promise that the trial would begin in the U.S. Senate. McConnell’s floor remarks Tuesday could clarify which direction Senate Republicans are heading.
Bottom line: Given the procedural hurdles, if McConnell announces plans to put the bill to an official vote, it could still be several days before that vote takes place.
Meanwhile, minority leader Chuck Schumer in the Senate will ask for unanimous approval on Tuesday to pass the measure that increases direct payment to $ 2,000. This is unlikely to pass, as any senator could object (Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson objected to more money for stimulus checks a few days ago).
The dynamics
McConnell knows that adding $ 2,000 checks to this account would cost hundreds of billions more. For it to work, McConnell would need 12 Republicans to sign up and at this point it’s not clear that many exist. Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, has said he would refund the payments. And Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, has been a strong supporter of stimulus controls. But a vote on the matter would no doubt divide the Republican Conference and Georgia Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David force Perdue to vote hard a few days before their second election. It would also expose members who vote no to the wrath of a president who has never been kind to be crossed.
That doesn’t mean McConnell isn’t heading in that direction. A vote for $ 2,000 checks could also boost Perdue and Loeffler in their races if they voted for it. The facility is popular. And even if the measure wasn’t passed, the word to the president would show McConnell tried, but the votes just weren’t there. McConnell, as usual, sought input from his members.
It’s also possible, and some Democratic aides CNN has spoken to worry that McConnell could tie a $ 2,000 check vote to a less popular facility, making it more difficult for Democrats to vote on. Remember, Trump claimed he had been assured that the Senate would also repeal Section 230, which protects web companies from liability for what third-party users post on their sites. That would scramble party lines and make a vote on $ 2,000 checks that much harder for Democrats to swallow.
NDAA
McConnell had hoped to bring up the NDAA vote on Wednesday. But Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders has said he will block the measure unless McConnell picks up $ 2,000 checks.
Again, we don’t yet know what McConnell’s plans are regarding checks, but if he doesn’t make a promise to take them to the floor, Sanders could force McConnell to run the clock until New Years Day on the NDAA veto. . Sources expect the votes will be there to replace the NDAA in the Senate. It’s just a matter of when. A delay could keep Loeffler and Perdue off the campaign trail just days before their run-offs.