Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday closed off chances that the Senate would pass anytime soon a House bill that would give most Americans $2,000 stimulus payments.
The Kentucky Republican said the House legislation, approved in a bipartisan vote Monday, “has no realistic path” to quick passage in the Senate and that it falls short of the demands of President Donald Trump. He again blocked an attempt by Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to adopt the House bill to increase the payments to $2,000 from the $600 by unanimous consent.
John Horodyski is a partner with Optimity Advisors with executive management strategy experience in information management including digital asset management (DAM), metadata and taxonomy design, content strategy, governance, rights management and brand strategy. John has provided strategic direction and consulting for a variety of Fortune 100 and 500 clients from consumer packaging goods, to media and entertainment, and the pharmaceutical industry. John is also an adjunct faculty member at San Jose State University where he teaches a graduate course in didgital asset management. In addition to regular training and public speaking on digital media and metadata, John is a board member and editor of the Journal Of Digital Media Management, and is a monthly DAM contributor to CMS Wire. John recently published in May 2016 his book, “Inform, Transform, Outperform: Digital Content Strategies to Optimize Your Business for Growth.”
Adam Famularo is chief executive officer at erwin, Inc., a data management firm.
Paul Strid is founding principal at Concentus Wealth Advisors in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
The Senate instead will work on combining the stimulus payments with measures on election integrity and rolling back social media liability protections, he said. That responds to all three issues Trump has said he wants, but a bill combining them likely will alienate enough senators in both parties to leave prospects for bigger stimulus payments dead in the Senate.
“The Senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into the hands of the Democrats’ rich friends who don’t need the help,” McConnell said. The House bill would raise the income cutoff to receive a payment.
The clash over the payments also is entangling another piece of year-end business in the Senate — a vote to override Trump’s veto of a crucial $740.5 billion defense policy bill. Senators Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey said they will continue to delay the defense legislation vote unless McConnell relents and allows a vote on a standalone bill on the bigger stimulus checks.
“We are saying to Mitch McConnell, to allow the United States Senate to do what it’s supposed to do, and that is the vote,” Sanders told reporters. “The House passed the bill, it’s over here right now. Do you want to vote against it? Then vote against it.”
Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey later blocked an attempt by Sanders to call up the House bill for a roll call vote.