Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey have vowed to block the protection invoice till they get a vote on the $2,000 survival checks. “That aid handed within the Home as we speak with 44 Republicans voting for it,” Markey tweeted Monday. “Senate Republicans should do the identical and get the American folks the assistance they want.” Sanders stated in an announcement Monday, “Let me be clear: If Sen. McConnell doesn’t conform to an up or down vote to offer the working folks of our nation a $2,000 direct fee, Congress won’t be going dwelling for New Yr’s Eve.”
McConnell hasn’t responded to the Democrats’ risk. In truth, he has stated nothing in any respect about Trump’s demand for the $2,000 checks over the previous few weeks. Trump tweeted Tuesday morning: “Give the folks $2000, not $600. They’ve suffered sufficient!” Nevertheless it’s not clear that Trump has a lot juice, if any, with Senate Republicans now that he is signed the stimulus/spending invoice. He does not have leverage.
Who might need leverage, nonetheless, are Georgia Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue as they eye the Jan. 5 runoff. McConnell ultimately and eventually engaged within the newest coronavirus aid invoice—after eight months of refusing to behave—exactly as a result of, as he advised his convention earlier than that vote, the Georgians have been “getting hammered” within the marketing campaign on the shortage of stimulus.
So right here the timing and the logistics get difficult. McConnell will in all probability come to the ground Tuesday to ask for unanimous consent for a NDAA veto override vote Wednesday. Sanders will object until McConnell additionally schedules the $2,000 survival test vote. McConnell might nonetheless drive the NDAA vote by invoking cloture, however he is not going to have the 60 senators out there on Tuesday to make that occur. That might drive the Senate to remain in all week to work by way of the procedures to get that vote achieved, one thing that Loeffler and Perdue do not wish to occur since they’ve only one extra week till Election Day in Georgia.
McConnell is reportedly canvassing his members on the vote. On the one hand, having the vote and having it fail would present Trump that he did not have the help he wanted. Alternatively, Republicans killing $2,000 survival checks would look actually unhealthy. It might look actually unhealthy for Loeffler and Perdue specifically. Simply as probably, McConnell would attempt to do one thing like tie the $2,000 checks to one thing like a repeal of Part 230 of the Communications Act, the factor Trump has been railing about and a part of his justification for the NDAA veto.
Backside line: The Senate may very nicely be voting on the NDAA veto override on New Yr’s Day. Trump’s veto shall be overridden, no query there. It is only a matter of when.