On Sunday evening, President Trump signed into law the $908 billion COVID relief package along with the Fiscal Year 2021 annual spending bill, avoiding a government shutdown earlier in the week. The President signed the legislation after tweeting last week that he intended to veto the package unless Congress increased stimulus checks to $2,000 and “removed unnecessary items from the legislation.” While signing the legislation, President Trump again insisted on an increase in stimulus check payments to Americans as well as the rescinding of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Despite the COVID relief package and the annual spending bill now becoming law, the prospect of an additional $2,000 in stimulus checks remains a flashpoint of negotiations in Congress as the legislative body closes in on the final days of its 116th Congress. On Monday, the House of Representatives returned to session to override President Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as well as pass the CASH Act, which provides for the additional $2,000 in stimulus checks to Americans. The U.S. Senate is expected to follow up with the veto override of the NDAA before Monday when a the 117th Congress convenes. However, complications have arisen regarding President Trump’s demands for additional $2,000 in stimulus checks as well as the rescinding of Section 230. Notably, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has expressed his intent to filibuster the NDAA override unless the Senate holds a vote on additional $2,000 in stimulus checks. Under Senate rules, Senator Sanders has the ability to keep the chamber in during the holiday week and likely alter the campaign schedules of Senator David Perdue (R-Georgia) and Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Georgia). On Tuesday, both GOP Senators announced their backing of President Trump‘s call for additional $2,000 in stimulus checks, while remaining coy about whether they would break from him over his recent veto of the NDAA. Both Senators face their own separate run-off election on Tuesday, January 5th, which will determine whether Republicans will maintain control of the U.S. Senate.
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader McConnell commented on the House-passed CASH Act ($2,000 checks) that the bill is too generous for higher earners and “has no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate.” McConnell also affirmed that he would not split up the CASH Act from any legislation rescinding Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, stating “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.”