A New Year, but same old action by the Republican-led Senate for the fourth day as they blocked a House-passed bill to increase the stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 on Friday.

Additionally, an attempt was made by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to set up votes on the House bill and a competing proposal from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that would link the money to a unrelated tech fight and creating a new elections commission.

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell blocked the House-passed bill on three separate days this week and blasted the proposal as “socialism for rich people.”

The House passed legislation to increase the amount of the checks earlier in the week before leaving town until the start of the 117th session of Congress on Sunday.

“That means today is the last chance to take up and pass the House bill to provide $2,000 checks to the American people. If the Senate does not take action today, $2,000 checks will not become law before the end of Congress and they will know that Leader McConnell and the Republican majority have prevented them from getting the checks,” Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) said from the floor.

He added that he believed McConnell had blocked the House bill from getting a vote “because he’s afraid it will pass.”

“While this huge new aid package takes effect, a bipartisan caucus in both chambers is not keen to let Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Sanders have universal cash giveaways regardless of needs,” McConnel said.

Earlier, President Trump urged Senate Republicans to pass legislation, but the idea garners fierce pushback from several Republicans.

Readers Bureau, Contributor       

Edited by Jesus Chan

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