Pelosi, Sanders Call For $2,000 Direct COVID Payments To Struggling Americans

Donald Trump's rejection of the long negotiated COVID relief bill is causing controversy on the eve of Christmas and continuing

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Donald Trump’s rejection of the long negotiated COVID relief bill is causing controversy on the eve of Christmas and continuing the economic pain that millions of Americans are facing.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement on House Republicans blocking Democrats’ Unanimous Consent request to increase economic impact payments to $2,000, as the President called for:

“Today, on Christmas Eve morning, House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $2,000 that the President agreed to support. If the President is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction.

“House and Senate Democrats have repeatedly fought for bigger checks for the American people, which House and Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected – first, during our negotiations when they said that they would not go above $600 and now, with this act of callousness on the Floor.

“On Monday, I will bring the House back to session where we will hold a recorded vote on our stand-alone 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.

“Hopefully by then the President will have already signed the bipartisan and bicameral legislation to keep government open and to deliver coronavirus relief.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also stressed the need for addressing the economic plight many Americans are facing by issuing the following statement:

“In America today, millions of Americans are facing economic desperation and need help now. I have been calling on Congress for months to pass legislation to provide every working class American with $2,000 a month until the pandemic ends.

“Now that Senator Schumer, Speaker Pelosi and President Trump have all indicated strong support for a $2,000 direct payment the ball is in Senate Majority Leader McConnell’s court.

“I say to Senator McConnell: Let the Senate vote immediately on a stand-alone bill to provide a $2,000 direct payment for the working class and $4,000 for couples. If no Republican objects to that bill, it could pass by unanimous consent today.”

Sanders is the co-author, with Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), of the Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act, which would provide $2,000 direct monthly payments to working-class Americans for the duration of the pandemic.

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