The U.S. House of Representatives could pass a provision Monday night that would increase the amount of money individuals and families receive for stimulus checks.
An aide to the Republican leadership told CNN that, although the Republican side does not beat the law, “there is a good chance that it will pass.” It is far from certain, but assistants warn that it is possible.
The bill, which would require a 2/3 majority to pass because it will take place under suspension, would increase the value of incentive controls from $ 600 to $ 2,000 per person.
Eligibility for checks is determined by a person’s most recent tax returns. Anyone earning less than $ 75,000 as an individual or $ 150,000 as a couple would receive the full amount. The amount that people receive decreases by $ 5 for every $ 100 that a person earns over $ 75,000. In short, this means that people earning more than $ 99,000 would not be eligible, nor would couples earning more than $ 198,000.
If the bill actually passes the House with a strong Republican vote, it will put Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a difficult position to decide whether to bring it to the Senate as an independent bill.
While the president has asked Republicans to increase payments, many McConnell Republicans have made it clear that they do not believe an increase is justified, given how much the incentive bill would increase.
A vote on checks would probably split the GOP conference and force some members to endure President Trump’s anger in his last days in office.
Reminder: Covid-19 aid legislation was passed by Congress last Monday and flown to Mar-a-Lago on Thursday to await Trump’s signature. But after standing on the sidelines during negotiations, Trump came up with an eleven-hour complaint that a separate provision in the agreement, which the White House president herself helped the broker, would only provide until $ 600 in direct payments.
Trump wanted to send $ 2,000 checks.
Trump said in a statement Sunday night that he signed the coronavirus bailout bill only after securing a commitment for the Senate to consider legislation to increase stimulus controls from $ 600 to $ 2,000. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not mention this commitment in his own statement on Sunday night, praising the president for signing the bill.