- With Trump’s surprising support for $ 2,000 stimulus controls, the Democratic leadership and progressive wing of the party have rallied to support the amendment.
- Many representatives, including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have been asking for $ 2,000 incentive vouchers since the spring and are putting pressure on Mitch McConnell to make this happen.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for a “unanimous consent” hearing on the new proposal.
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Democratic members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus responded positively to Trump’s call for $ 2,000 incentive vouchers, an amount that several progressive members started advocating in March.
After Trump released a meandering 10-minute video address calling for more robust stimulus controls, Democratic leaders immediately indicated that they would back the higher controls with “unanimous consent.”
“Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the president wanted for direct checks. Finally, the president agreed to $ 2,000,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted. “Let’s do it!” she added.
The current stimulus bill, which Trump criticized and indicated he would turn down unless the checks were raised, calls for $ 600 for every American who makes less than $ 75,000 a year.
“Let’s do it. @RashidaTlaib and I have already co-authored the COVID amendment for $ 2,000 checks, so it’s up and running. Glad to see the president’s willingness to back our legislation.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Ocasio-Cortez called for $ 2,000 stimulus checks when the pandemic started in March and echoed that call last week. “We could pass $ 2k checks this week if the Senate GOP agrees to resign,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 23, 2020
Representative Rashida Tlaib also responded to the call. “Me and @AOC have the amendment ready.” Tlaib tweeted Tuesday. “Return the bill and we’ll put in the $ 2,000 we fought for that blocks your party.” Tlaib added and shared a photo of the drafted amendment.
Representative Ayanna Pressley also indicated that regardless of Trump’s motives, she would “support anything that gets my constituents’ survival controls. People’s lives are at stake.”
—Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) December 23, 2020
Representative Ilhan Omar kept it short and sweet, tweeting“Mitch isn’t the only reason people don’t get $ 2000, let’s do this.”
Bernie Sanders also responded positively, recalling that he, along with elected Vice President Kamala Harris and Senator Ed Markey, asked for immediate payments of $ 2,000 at the start of the pandemic.
“That’s great! I first submitted an invoice to provide an instant payment of $ 2000 @SenKamalaHarris & @EdMarkey 7 months ago. Sanders tweeted.
—Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 23, 2020
“Now, Mr. President, let Mitch McConnell and your Republican friends stop opposing it and we can provide the working class Americans with $ 2,000.” Sanders added, echoing the same call to action on Mitch McConnell as many of his colleagues.