On Thursday, House Republicans voted against a measure that would increase COVID-19 relief payments from $600 to $2,000 after President Trump asked Congress to amend the $900-billion stimulus package, which was passed earlier this week.
The fate of the stimulus deal remains in limbo after Republicans rejected the Democratic effort to meet President Trump’s demands for $2,000 payments.
The previous package included stimulus checks of up to $600 for people who earn less than $75,000 per year (or married couples earning up to $150,000), an additional $600 per dependent child under 18, $300 per week extension of unemployment insurance and federal unemployment insurance, more than $286 billion in loans for businesses that need to pay rent and staff, $69 billion in testing and vaccine distribution funds and $82 billion in funding for colleges and schools. The bill also included a legislative priority for the entertainment industry, which will bump up the penalty for operating a for-profit illegal streaming service from a misdemeanor to a felony.
The update to the bill, which House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer sought to pass, failed to meet unanimous consent. House Republicans tried to revisit the foreign aid funding included in the omnibus bill, which was ultimately rejected by Democrats. Further consideration of the veto message will be considered on Monday, when the House will re-adjourn.
The Chair ruled on both bills that they cannot entertain the request unless it has been cleared by the bipartisan floor and committee leaderships.
House Democrats tried to quickly pass the updated relief bill by a unanimous consent request Thursday morningA full vote is expected Dec. 28.
