House passes bill to increase stimulus checks to $2,000

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday voted to pass a bill to increase the $600 stimulus checks to $2,000, with 275 members voting for the bill and 134 voting against it. The bill received the needed two-thirds majority of the members voting to pass in the House. 

But it faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where two-thirds majority is also needed in order for the bill to head to President Trump’s desk. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not indicated if he will bring a vote to the floor on the larger checks. 

Senator Bernie Sanders, a supporter of $2,000 checks, called for McConnell to bring the vote to the floor. He tweeted that if McConnell doesn’t bring a vote to the floor, then he will object to the vote to override Mr. Trump’s veto of the defense funding bill. While Sanders can’t stop the veto override from happening, he can filibuster it past New Year’s Day — which would cause a major headache for the GOP. 

Mr. Trump last week urged Congress to increase stimulus checks to $2,000, threatening not to sign the COVID-19 relief economic relief package that gave Americans $600 checks. But on Sunday night, the president gave in and signed the legislation.

But last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi immediately jumped on the president’s insistence on $2,000 checks, setting up Monday’s vote on the House floor. 

Nearly all Democrats voted for the legislation to increase the checks, and most of the members who voted against the increase are Republican. 

A handful of Senate Republicans, including Senator Josh Hawley and Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham have supported the idea of bigger stimulus checks for all Americans, but it’s likely to meet friction from the more fiscally conservative members of the party. 

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Kimberly Brown contributed reporting.