Republicans in the US House of Representatives blocked an attempt from House Democrats to pass US $2,000 direct payments to Americans, a figure demanded by President Donald Trump. House Democrats moved to increase the amount of stimulus checks after the outgoing Republican president on Tuesday threatened to veto a US $900 billion Covid-19 relief package unless lawmakers raise the stimulus checks for individuals from US $600 to US $2,000, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday. The US House of Representatives and Senate both approved the relief package late Monday, along with US $1.4 trillion dollars in government funding for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30, 2021, sending the giant spending bill to the president to sign into law.