(Adds details, quotes and background) By Susan Cornwell and Steve Holland WASHINGTON/PALM BEACH, Fla., Dec 28 (Reuters) - The Democratic-led U.S. Hous.
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The Democratic-led US House of Representatives voted 275-134 to meet President Donald Trump’s demand for $2,000 COVID-19 relief cheques, sending the measure on to an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate.
But even as Democrats helped secure approval for what the Republican president sought on stimulus payments, they spearheaded a House vote just a short time later to override his veto of a separate $740 billion defense policy bill. The rebuke, in Mr Trump’s final weeks in office, would be the first veto override of his presidency if seconded by the Senate this week.
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Mr Trump last week threatened to block a massive pandemic aid and spending package if Congress did not boost stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000 and cut other spending. He backed down from his demands on Sunday as a possible government shutdown loomed, brought on by the fight with politicians.
US House approves $2,000 coronavirus aid checks sought by Trump Hits: 840
WASHINGTON/PALM BEACH, Florida The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives voted 275-134 to meet President Donald Trump s demand for $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks on Monday, sending the measure on to an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate. The Republican Trump last week threatened to block a massive pandemic aid and spending package if Congress did not boost stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000 and cut other spending. He backed down from his demands on Sunday as a possible government shutdown loomed, brought on by the fight with lawmakers. But Democratic lawmakers have long wanted $2,000 relief checks and used the rare point of agreement with Trump to advance the proposal - or at least to put Republicans on record against it - in the vote on Monday, less than a month before he leaves office.
RTHK: US House meets Trump demand for US$2,000 cheques 7thspace.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 7thspace.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
All eyes are on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday.
After the House overwhelmingly voted to both override President Donald Trump’s veto on the National Defense Authorization Act and to pass $2,000 stimulus checks, it’s Senate Republicans’ turn to navigate whether they’re willing to cross Trump in his final days in office.
What to watch
Watch McConnell when he opens the Senate floor. The majority leader notably has not made any public commitments about how he plans to handle $2,000 checks despite the fact that Trump insisted he’d obtained a promise that the process would begin in the US Senate. McConnell’s floor remarks Tuesday could clarify just what direction Senate Republicans are headed.