Mcconnell: Senate won’t have standalone vote on $2,000 checks
Sen. Mitch Mcconnell, R-KY., the majority leader, said Wednesday that the chamber would not consider the issue of larger stimulus checks separately from two other demands issued by President Donald Trump: the investigation of election security and the removal of legal protections for social media platforms. The decision all but dooms the effort to increase direct payments to $2,000.
“Here’s the deal: The Senate is not going to split apart the three issues that President Trump linked together just because Democrats are afraid to address two of them,” Mcconnell said.
A stand-alone bill to increase the payments, he said, has “no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate.”
Trump signed a $900 billion stimulus package last week after holding it hostage for days and demanding that lawmakers increase the size of direct payments to $2,000 from $600, remove a legal shield for tech companies and investigate “very substantial voter fraud” in the 2020 election, a baseless claim he has continued to repeat.
House Democrats seized on the demand for larger checks, and passed a bipartisan bill increasing the payments Monday.
Mcconnell, who along with members of his conference have long resisted the idea of larger payments, on Tuesday introduced his own legislation combining provisions on the $2,000 checks, election security and social media into one bill. He insisted that the three demands be addressed together, although Trump never issued such a mandate.
On Wednesday, Mcconnell accused
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-calif., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, of “trying to pull a fast one on the president.”
“They’re hoping everyone just forgets about election integrity and big tech,” he said. “They’re desperate to ignore those two parts of Trump’s request.”
The decision to link the three demands in a single bill, however, all but ensures that it will not pass. Mcconnell’s bill would create a bipartisan commission to study election practices used in the 2020 election and to repeal outright the most consequential law governing speech on the internet — two provisions that are widely viewed by Democrats as poison pills.
Schumer on Wednesday again attempted to hold an immediate vote on the stand-alone, Housepassed bill, arguing that with just four days left in the legislative session and the House out of session, that “there is no other game in town.”
“At the very least the Senate deserves the opportunity for an up-or-down vote,” Schumer said. Mcconnell again blocked his request, as he did Tuesday.
Senate Republicans have shown little interest in turning the president’s demand for larger stimulus checks into a reality, citing concerns about their costs and efficacy.
Separately on Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-MO., said he would raise objections next week when Congress meets to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the election, forcing House and Senate votes that are likely to delay — but in no way alter — the final certification of Biden’s win.
A group of Republicans in the Democratic-majority House have already said would will object on Trump’s behalf during the Jan. 6 count of electoral votes, and they had needed just a single senator to go along with them to force votes in both chambers.
Without giving specifics or evidence, Hawley said he would object because “some states, including notably Pennsylvania” did not follow their own election laws. Lawsuits challenging Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania have been unsuccessful.
“At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections,” Hawley said in a statement. He also criticized the way Facebook and Twitter handled content related to the election, characterizing it as an effort to help Biden.
Biden transition spokeswoman Jen Psaki dismissed Hawley’s move as “antics” that will have no bearing on Biden being sworn in on Jan. 20.
When Congress convenes to certify the Electoral College results, any lawmaker can object to a state’s votes on any grounds. But the objection is not taken up unless it is in writing and signed by both a member of the House and a member of the Senate.
When there is such a request, then the joint session suspends and the House and Senate go into separate sessions to consider it. For the objection to be sustained, both chambers must agree to it by a simple majority vote. If they disagree, the original electoral votes are counted.