On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) objected to Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) call for the $2,000 relief check bill to be passed via unanimous consent. Sanders threatened to delay the override of President Trump’s defense bill veto until New Year's if McConnell resists. Keeping the senators at work through the holidays could put a dent in the campaign plans of Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, both fighting for re-election and the continuing GOP control of the Senate.
"Let me be clear: If Senator McConnell doesn't agree to an up or down vote to provide the working people of our country a $2,000 direct payment, Congress will not be going home for New Year's Eve," Sanders said on Monday. "Let's do our job."
This week on the Senate floor Mitch McConnell wants to vote to override Trump's veto of the $740 billion defense funding bill and then head home for the New Year.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 28, 2020
I'm going to object until we get a vote on legislation to provide a $2,000 direct payment to the working class.
But as soon as Sanders made the call on the Senate floor on Tuesday, McConnell objected.
President Trump signed the second COVID relief package last week, yet told Congress he wants to see an edited version that increases the $600 stimulus payments to $2,000 and gets rid of unnecessary spending. The House voted to increase the stimulus by a vote of 275-134 on Monday. But McConnell has not indicated that he'll schedule a vote on the amended amount.
Several conservative lawmakers have objected to the second COVID relief bill.
Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), for instance, called it an "irresponsible swamp bill."