House Republicans blocked Democrats’ attempt to meet President Donald Trump’s demand to pay most Americans $2,000 to help weather the coronavirus pandemic.
Republicans objected to the bill House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer sought to pass by unanimous consent Thursday to replace the $600 payments in the latest pandemic relief legislation with the $2,000 payments.
Jay Zigmont is the founder of Childfree Wealth and Childfree Trust. He is author of "The Childfree Guide to Life and Money" and co-hosts the Childfree Wealth Podcast, where he drops expert knowledge with a dose of humor. His recent TEDx talk, "The Childfree Path to a Healthier Planet" explores how child-free living intersects with sustainability and long-term economic health.
Rafael Goldberg leads the Decision business unit at Sapiens, where he focuses on go-to-market, product strategy and overall operations. With broad experience across global software and consulting operations, Rafael has spent the last 12 years supporting clients implement and adopt enterprise decision automation systems.
An invitation-only luncheon convening senior marketing executives for candid, strategic conversation during Fintech Meetup in Las Vegas on March 31, 2026.
“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,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Thursday.
Democrats will try again with a roll call vote on a new bill Dec. 28, when the House also plans a vote to override Trump’s veto on the National Defense Authorization Act. Since current government spending runs out that day — and funds for the rest of the fiscal year are included in the virus relief bill Trump criticized and hasn’t signed -- the House could also pass another stopgap measure to avert a partial government shutdown.
Republicans on Thursday tried to seek unanimous consent on a measure to examine taxpayer money spent on foreign aid, but Democrats blocked that move. In his complaint Tuesday about Congress’s combined virus aid and government spending bill, Trump criticized federal resources spent on international programs, even though that spending was allocated as part of the bipartisan appropriations process.