On Thursday, House Republicans have taken down a Democratic bid to approve the long-shot, end-of-session demand by President Donald Trump for $2,000 direct payments to most American citizens as he pondered if to sign a lengthy COVID-19 relief bill.
In expectation of a successful Washington landing for the huge, year-end legislative package, which folds together with a $1.4 trillion government spending with the hard-fought COVID-19 package and hundreds of unrelated yet bipartisan measures, the made-for-TV fight came as the Democratic-controlled chamber gathered for a pro forma session planned.
Instead, the unprecedented 12-minute House session on Thursday instead evolved into the unpersuasive theater in response to Trump’s veto musings on the package, arranged on Trump’s side by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The No. 2 House Democrat, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, requested the unanimous consent of all House members to pass the bill, but GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who wasn’t really present in the almost empty chamber, declined his consent and the initiative fizzled.
The nation would probably experience a short, partial shutdown of the government beginning on Dec. 29 if Trump were to follow through on his implied veto threat, conveyed through video on Tuesday, This will also postpone delivery of the direct payments of $600 that the bill provides.
For Republicans, who had lauded the tough COVID-19 relief package, which passed by sweeping votes on Monday after the White House convinced GOP leaders how Trump backed the bill, the optics look awful.
The way ahead, including attempts to avert a government shutdown or maybe even pass a last-ditch extension of jobless checks that would soon expire, remained unclear. Possibly, any shutdown will be short, but nothing is certain.
Views Of Hoyer And Trump:
“We’re not gonna let the government shut down, nor are we going to let the American people down,” Hoyer said. “There are continuing discussions going on between the speaker, and the secretary of the Treasury and the administration.”
Headed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Republicans have criticized larger $2,000 checks as being too expensive and poorly focused. Democrats endorse direct payments and are now preparing to vote Monday on the $2,000 check request.
Trump along with some of the most prominent congressmen had a remarkable shared cause in pressing for greater payments to Americans. Democrats and Pelosi said that during protracted talks, they battled for the higher stipends only to settle for the lower amount when Republicans resisted.
