GOP Blocks $2,000 Relief Checks Sought by Trump

Plus, a congressional Christmas poem for 2020  [The Fisc](   By Yuval Rosenberg and Michael Rainey House GOP Blocks $2,000 Relief Checks Sought by Trump, Leaving Covid Bill in Limbo In a final bit of pre-Christmas political theater, House Republicans on Thursday blocked an attempt by Democrats to approve the $2,000 stimulus payments President Trump demanded this week. After Trump on Tuesday abruptly cast doubt over a compromise Covid relief package negotiated by Congress, including $600 payments for millions of Americans, Democrats tried to advance legislation to more than triple those payments. But Republicans rejected the move to pass the change by unanimous consent. They countered with their own attempt to force changes to foreign aid spending, another part of the year-end package that Trump had criticized even though many of the programs he highlighted were also [in his own budget request](. That GOP move was blocked by Democrats. House rules meant that each unanimous consent request could not be considered without the approval of the floor and committee leaderships of the other party. The spending Trump had highlighted as “wasteful and unnecessary” reportedly amounts to [$3.8 billion]( while raising the direct payments from $600 to $2,000 would cost about $370 billion. “The Democratic gambit on the House floor was never meant to pass, but Democratic leaders had hoped to put Republicans in a bind — forcing them to choose between the president’s wishes for far more largess and their own inclinations for modest relief — while possibly flushing the president out on his intentions,” The New York Times [reports](. The show was all over in less than two minutes, and the House then adjourned until Monday. Pelosi sets new vote for Monday: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Democrats will try to pass the $2,000 payments again on Monday with a [new stand-alone bill]( that will be put to a full vote on the House floor. “Hopefully by then the President will have already signed the bipartisan and bicameral legislation to keep government open and to deliver coronavirus relief,” she said in a statement. Relief bill iIn limbo: It’s not at all clear what Trump will do on the $900 billion Covid relief package and a related $1.4 trillion spending bill needed to keep the government open beyond the beginning of next week. “Mr. Trump decamped for his Florida home in Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday without saying another word on the matter,” The Times notes, “leaving both parties to guess whether he really intends to veto the long-delayed measure, which includes the coronavirus relief as well as funding to keep the government funded past Monday.” The legislation is reportedly being [sent to Florida]( where Trump was [seen golfing]( on Thursday. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) told reporters that there wouldn’t be enough votes in the Senate to pass the $2,000 payments and urged Trump to approve the deal passed by Congress. “I hope the president looks at this again and reaches that conclusion that the best thing to do is to sign the bill,” he said. Blunt also said that reopening the spending bill to reconsider the foreign aid provisions would be a mistake, indicating a potential split within the Republican Party on the issue. If Trump doesn’t sign off on the legislation, the House could still attempt to pass another stopgap funding measure on Monday to prevent a partial shutdown. But that wouldn’t provide any relief to the roughly 12 million Americans who are set to see their expanded federal unemployment benefits end on Saturday. Other relief provisions provided as part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March — including an eviction moratorium reportedly protecting as many as 30 million Americans — are scheduled to expire at the end of the month. “Republicans in Congress and the White House can’t agree on what they want,” Hoyer told reporters Thursday, according to [Bloomberg News](. “Surely, the president of the United States, whether he is in Mar-a-Lago or someplace else, ought to empathize with the suffering and apprehension and deep angst people are feeling this Christmas Eve.” The Night Before Christmas 2020 ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and up on the Hill Congress keeps fighting over its stimulus bill. Pelosi pressed Republicans to see if they dare Block the bigger checks Trump said are fair. Sure enough, Republicans denied their consent. Then off to their homes our lawmakers went. Bye, Mitch! Bye, Kevin! Bye, Nancy! Bye, Chuck! And Trump showed no signs of giving a f—-. He left for Florida early last night To pardon more pals while he still has that right. So it’s no Merry Christmas for all, not tonight. Because the president and Congress won’t end this fight. They all say they want the economy to grow faster But right now it feels like we’re headed for disaster. Merry Christmas! Send your feedback to yrosenberg@thefiscaltimes.com. Follow us on Twitter: [@yuvalrosenberg]( [@mdrainey]( and [@TheFiscalTimes](. And please tell your friends they can [sign up here]( for their own copy of this newsletter. News - ['All Is Not Calm': Congress Scrambles After Trump Blasts COVID-19 Relief Package]( – NPR - [Dueling Objections Leave Omnibus, Coronavirus Relief Bill in Limbo]( – Roll Call - [Republicans Scramble to Prevent Year-End Legislative Disaster]( – The Hill - [Here's What Happens if Trump Doesn't Sign the $900 Billion Relief Package]( – CNN - [Trump Rails Against Federal Spending That He Requested in His Budget]( – Washington Post - [McConnell, GOP Face Splits With Trump Over Relief, Defense]( – Politico  - [Families on Brink of Eviction, Hunger Describe Nightmare Christmas as $900 Billion Relief Bill Hangs in Limbo]( – Washington Post - [Struggling Renters Face Avalanche of Evictions Without Federal Aid]( – Washington Post - [‘We Are Struggling’: A Bleak Christmas for America’s Jobless]( – Associated Press - [For Movie Theaters, the Coronavirus Stimulus Bill Is a Tale of Two Industries]( – Washington Post - [US Coronavirus Deaths Are Projected to Reach 567,000 by April, Even Amid Vaccine Rollout]( – CNN - [Hospital Workers Start to ‘Turn Against Each Other’ to Get Vaccine]( – New York Times - [Politicians Get Vaccinated Early to Build Public Trust, While Furious Health Workers Wait]( – Washington Post - [Trump Administration Pushes Forward on $500 Million Weapons Deal With Saudi Arabia]( – Washington Post Views and Analysis - [Republicans in Congress Should Tell Trump Enough Is Enough]( – Bloomberg Editorial Board - [The Republican Party Has Ushered in a Dark Christmas, Indeed. We Deserve Better]( – Hamilton Nolan, Guardian - [Republicans Raging at Trump Are Getting Exactly What They Deserve]( – Greg Sargent, Washington Post - [Donald Trump Doesn’t Really Care About You]( – Helaine Olen, Washington Post - [The Right and the Left Are Teaming Up to Lie About the Stimulus Bill]( – Jonathan Chait, New York - [The Response & Relief Act Would Boost Income to Record Levels]( – Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget - [There’s a Way Biden Can Raise More From the Rich Without Higher Taxes]( – Neil Irwin, New York Times - [Biden Insists He’s Ready for a ‘Punch in the Mouth’ From Republicans]( – Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post - [Congress Served Its Own Interests Rather Than Ours With the Relief Bill]( – Kristin Tate, The Hill - [Forgiving Student Loans Is Not a Lasting Solution]( – Claudia Sahm, Bloomberg - [For Corrosive Inequality, Look to the Upper Middle Class]( – Noah Smith, Bloomberg - [Mike Pence and the GOP Are Waging the Real War on Christmas]( – Elizabeth Spiers, Washington Post Copyright © 2020 The Fiscal Times, All rights reserved. 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