Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of “trying to pull a fast one” and declared that there was “no realistic path” to approve larger stimulus checks for Americans.
McConnell said Pelosi and Schumer are trying to “warp” the president’s call for $2,000 stimulus checks for Americans. The majority leader said there is no way the Senate would not separate a vote on a larger stimulus check from a bill supported by GOP leaders that include the formation of a committee to investigate election fraud and a repeal of the controversial Section 230.
“As they’ve tried to do countless times in the past four years, Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer are trying to pull a fast one on the president and the American people,” said McConnell. “First of all, they’re hoping that everyone just forgets about election integrity and Big Tech. They’re desperate to ignore those two parts of President Trump’s request.”
Since the $900 billion coronavirus relief package including $600 direct payments was signed into law, President Trump and lawmakers from both sides have demanded that Congress approve raising the direct payments to $2,000. Earlier this week, McConnell agreed to consider larger checks after the body rejected a measure from House Democrats that called for an immediate vote.
McConnell fears that Democratic leaders will push through a package that would significantly increase the national debt and give money to individuals that don’t really need it.
“Look, it’s no secret that Republicans have a diversity of views about the wisdom of borrowing hundreds of billions more to send out more non-targeted money, including to many households that have suffered no loss of income during the crisis,” McConnell explained. “COVID-19 has not affected all households equally.”
Pelosi, Schumer, and Senator Bernie Sanders have led the fight for increased cash payments to Americans. Schumer said he would call for a vote on the House bill to increase direct payments by Wednesday night.
Schumer said, “At the very least, the Senate deserves the opportunity for an up-or-down vote on increasing the individual payments to the Amerian people.”
McConnell’s remarks only cast more doubt on the much-needed approval of larger payments.
The IRS and Treasury Department have already begun sending out the first wave of direct payments. Officials said the payments will be “topped up as quickly as possible” as soon as Congress approves the larger checks.
