McConnell blocks US$2,000 checks
Bloomberg
US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked an attempt by Democrats to force quick action on increasing direct stimulus payments to US$2,000 as US President Donald Trump said that failing to act now amounted to a “death wish” by Republicans.
McConnell objected to a motion by US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to approve by unanimous consent a stimulus check bill that passed the US House of Representatives on Monday.
He also blocked a motion by US Senator Bernie Sanders to vote on the stimulus checks immediately after the Senate voted on overriding Trump’s veto of a key defense policy bill.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley says he will challenge Joe Biden victory in Congress
A number of Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives have said they plan to object to the election results, but Hawley is the first U.S. senator to do so.
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Jason Lange / Reuters | 1:31 pm, Dec. 30, 2020 ×
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks during the third day of the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 14. Ken Cedeno/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Dec. 30 (Reuters) Republican Sen. Josh Hawley on Wednesday pledged to challenge Democrat President-elect Joe Biden s victory when Congress convenes to officially tally the electoral votes, which could trigger a lengthy debate in the Senate but has virtually no chance of overturning the results.
McConnell objected to a request by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to unanimously pass the House bill, which passed that chamber earlier this week, that would increase the stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000. He objected to a similar request made by Schumer the day prior and instead introduced a bill that combined the three key policies, though a vote hasn t been officially scheduled on the proposal.
Senate Republicans had for months urged limiting the size of the aid payments, citing concerns about the national debt. Most Republicans appear to be opposed to increasing the size of the one-time payments but are coming at odds with direct demands from the leader of their party. Holding a vote on the measure would put senators on the spot to either reject Trump s demands for increased checks or relent on long-held objections to adding to the debt.
Sen Johnson: $2K COVID Checks Means Money We Don t Have kvor.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kvor.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Wednesday, Dec. 30, and I’m Nita Lelyveld, writing from Los Angeles, as Julia Wick takes a few days off.
Much of California will have to remain under a strict stay-at-home order for now. Only rural Northern California is free of the most recent limitations on businesses and activities.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services secretary, on Tuesday extended those restrictions “for the time being” in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. He said any decision to lift the restrictions will depend on projections of ICU availability four weeks into the future. Which means it’s unlikely they’ll be lifted any time soon.