Second Stimulus Check Update: Next Vote Is on Monday

Senate Republican Leadership Hold Weekly Press Conference On Capitol Hill

(Photo : Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger-Pool)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 8: Sen. Todd Young (R-ID) speaks during a news conference following a weekly meeting with the Senate Republican caucus at the U.S. Capitol on December 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. Almost a week after Democratic congressional leaders climbed down from their demand for a multi-trillion dollar stimulus package, Senate Majority Leader McConnell continued to tout his own plan, endangering prospects for a compromise.

The path to a second stimulus check has grown more difficult, but the direct payment may still come your way. If President Donald Trump, who is currently in Florida celebrating Christmas, signs the joint funding/COVID-19 relief bill in the following week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could start issuing stimulus payments.

Second Stimulus Check Update

On Monday, the Senate and House passed a merging of novel coronavirus relief package and federal spending bill, which involves a $600-second stimulus check. The almost 5,600-page joint package has been flown to President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, for evaluation.

Democratic attempts to allocate to United States citizens $2,000 worth of direct payments in the second coronavirus stimulus bill failed in the House on Thursday. However, lawmakers will get another chance to approve them in the upcoming week.

Interestingly, what the Democrats want coincides with Trump's appeal.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer made efforts to pass legislation through a parliamentary maneuver known as unanimous consent.

The House of Representatives would deliberate on December 28 a standalone bill (PDF) to authorize the second stimulus check for a maximum of $2,000 apiece in a bid to replace the $600 direct payment authorized in a $900 billion stimulus bill last Monday evening.

In another unprecedented move to the prolonged stimulus check narrative, the president disparaged the second stimulus check's $600 per individual upper cap as too low. He appealed to Congress to revise the bill to a maximum of $2,000 in turn. Without Congress reaching his condition, he stated he would not sign the stimulus bill into law.

Also Read: Trump Threatens COVID-19 Relief Deal, Calls for $2,000 Direct Payments to Americans

The new round of direct payments was already on a rigid timeline prior to Trump's countering. Language in the stimulus bill necessitates the IRS to stick with a January 15 cutoff for delivering new payments, reported CNET.

On Thursday, Democrats in the United States House of Representatives attempted to pass a bill that would bolster the second stimulus check amount to $2,000, excluding a vote under the House unanimous consent rules. Republicans predictably barred the move, reported Kiplinger.

Unemployment benefits, emergency aid, and eviction protections, including smaller $600 checks, are at risk. Trump's declining of the $900 billion package, which is associated with the $1.4 trillion government funds bill, can ignite a federal shutdown on Monday.

Other lawmakers, including Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent, and Josh Hawley of Missouri, a Republican, have decried the $600 amount as too low.

According to Trump in a recorded message, "I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 dollars to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple," reported CBS News.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi remarked following the measure, "On Monday, I will bring the House back to session where we will hold a recorded vote on our standalone bill to increase economic impact payments to $2,000. To vote against this bill is to deny the financial hardship that families face and to deny them the relief they need."