The hope of a larger stimulus payment to Americans was raised and shot down as Trump’s veto on the Defense Spending Bill was overridden by the legislature.
There are mere days left in the Trump-era presidency. Last-ditch efforts of overturning the 2020 election result of Joe Biden in favor of Donald Trump seem to be falling short, but that hasn’t stopped Trump from making late strides to boost public appearance.
Some Background
With the passage of a defense/coronavirus relief bill only offering Americans $600 in direct payment, which is significantly less than the $1,200 given in April, the president took to Twitter to address the public. In his statement, he made various claims of election fraud and repeated claims of victory in the election.
Trump claims in his statement “It’s called the COVID relief bill, but has almost nothing to do with COVID…the $900 billion relief package offers hardworking taxpayers with only $600 each in relief payments…I’m asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2000 or $4000 for a couple.”
Trump Statements on Twitter
Trump’s claims that he would veto the bill and or support the passage of another bill that would increase payments to $2000 immediately drew the attention of the media and the public. Once the bill landed on the president’s desk, he stayed true to his word and vetoed it. Unfortunately, that veto was met with a mixed bag of reactions. While Democrats seemed to be in favor of changing the bill, some Republicans were and some weren’t. When it came time to vote, however, the veto of the bill was overridden in both the republican dominated Senate (81-13) and a democrat controlled House of Representatives (322-87).
Possibilities to Amend by Passing a Separate Bill
Though Trump’s veto on the defense bill was overridden, hopes to increase direct payments to Americans from $600 to $2000 remained alive. Backers of the bill, like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Bernie Sanders formed a rare bipartisan coalition with President Trump to back measures to increase the payment by passing a separate bill. The opposition, however, remained strong in the Republican-controlled Senate. A bill did end up passing the House but was shot down quickly in the Senate.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader and one of the main opponents of the bill, stated “The Senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into the hands of Democrats' rich friends who don't need the help.”
To even consider a vote on the matter, McConnell required whatever measure being brought forth to include a repeal on liability protections and investigation into voter fraud. Unfortunately for Americans, Congress has adjourned without the Senate ever taking a vote on increasing relief checks to $2000. The issue is sure to be brought up again once the newly sworn-in 117th congress convenes.
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