All eyes are on Georgia GOP Sens. David Perdue
David Perdue Trump leaves Washington in limbo with a fateful threat.Georgia’s governor dismisses Trump’s calls to submit to him Senate candidates for Georgia Ossoff, Warnock backs Trump’s call for K-checks MORE and Kelly Loeffler
Kelly Loeffler Trump leaves Washington in limbo with fateful threat Loeffler said she would consider granting aid, 000 checks Georgia governor dismisses Trump’s calls to submit to him MORE after President Trump
Donald Trump McCarthy Offers UC Request To Revisit Foreign Spending In GOP Senator’s Omnibus Over Trump Pardon: ‘This Is Rotten To The Core’ Trump Pardons Manafort, Stone and Charles Kushner In Final Round MORE condemned Congress over the latest bill for coronavirus relief, a stunning move that comes two weeks before the Senate outflow.
Trump released a video mailing Tuesday night against the COVID-19 aid package passed by the House and Senate, calling on lawmakers to increase the number of stimulus checks sent to Americans from $ 600 to $ 2,000. threatened to veto the package, the government will shut down if it doesn’t sign it by Monday at midnight, and several major unemployment benefits will be dropped.
Now there is pressure on Loeffler and Perdue to back Trump after the two candidates touted their support for the emergency relief and accused Democrats of obstructing a deal.
Their Democratic opponents were quick to endorse Trump’s call for more help. Perdue’s rival, Jon Ossoff, on Tuesday evening labeled the $ 600 stimulus checks a “ joke. ”
“I urged the US Congress to pass additional direct stimulus payments of $ 2,000 to every American now,” said Ossoff.
Meanwhile, Loeffler’s opponent, Reverend Raphael Warnock, took the opportunity to aim for the Republican candidate.
“Billionaire Kelly Loeffler thinks $ 600 will cover your rent, groceries and hospital bills,” he tweeted Tuesday night.
The next day, Warnock went even further. Donald Trump is right, Congress should quickly increase direct payments to $ 2,000, he said in a statement. “Once and for all, Senator Loeffler should do what’s best for Georgia instead of focusing on what she can do for herself.”
Loeffler said on Wednesday that she would consider backing Trump’s move to increase stimulus controls.
“I am sure all wasteful spending will be diverted to families and businesses affected by this virus through no fault of their own,” Loeffler told reporters.
“I will definitely look to support it if it reuses wasteful spending on it, yes,” she added, when asked if she would support $ 2,000 direct payments.
Perdue has not yet publicly responded to Trump’s calls for more incentive aid. His office did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
The latest development came shortly after Republican senators postponed their campaign events on Monday, with President Ivanka’s daughter rushing back to Washington to vote for the $ 2.3 trillion package, which includes $ 900 billion worth of coronavirus aid. and $ 1.4 trillion to fund the government through October.
Ossoff and Warnock had already hit their GOP rivals on the issue of direct payments during stimulus negotiations. CNN reported last week that a source had heard the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnell Trump vetoes defense law, setting up possible lifting of CNN’s Smerconish praises Trump over, 000 emergency checks: ‘Most effective thing he’s done’ Post-election Republicans wait to see what Trump does with the aid package (RK.Y.) noting the attacks on Loeffler and Perdue.
“Kelly and David are being hammered,” McConnell reportedly said during a phone call with GOP senators.
Polls show that a tight race is underway in the state of Peach, leaving candidates no room for error. The Real Clear Politics poll average shows Perdue Ossoff leading by one point, while Loeffler is leading by 0.8 percentage point.
Trump’s move puts Loeffler and Perdue in a tough spot. The senators have maintained their close ties to Trump, suggesting it would be in their best political interest to side with him. But calls for greater direct payments have in the past met with opposition from members of their own party.
Republican strategists say the president’s influence within the GOP will make it difficult for anyone in the party to go against him.
“They can’t thwart the president on this,” said Republican strategist Doug Heye, referring to Loeffler and Perdue. “That’s where they will fall, where Republicans always fall because they fear not to.”
“If agreeing with Donald Trump between noon and 6:00 p.m. means different things, that’s just the reality,” he added.
Chuck Clay, former chairman of the GOP state and current attorney at Hall Booth Smith, said Trump’s move gives Loeffler and Perdue room to support a reworked emergency bills and bigger stimulus controls.
“As a political move, it’s excellent timing,” said Chuck Clay, a former GOP chairman and current attorney at Hall Booth Smith. “Trump has comforted everyone.”
“It would be a very popular move for working families,” he continued. ‘That’s real money. That’s the kind of influx into the economy, if they could get this done it would really show. “