Pelosi responds to Trump's request for $2,000 stimulus checks: 'Let's do it!'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) quickly let President Trump know that if he really wants a coronavirus relief bill that includes $2,000 direct payments to Americans, she's ready to help make it happen.
On Tuesday evening, Trump blasted the $900 billion economic relief package passed by Congress on Monday night, calling the measure a "disgrace." Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pushed for $600 stimulus checks, an amount Trump said was "ridiculously low." The president did not participate in the negotiations, and suggested he won't sign the bill until it is amended to include checks worth $2,000.
Pelosi tweeted in response that Republicans "repeatedly refused to say what amount the president wanted for direct checks. At last, the president has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the floor this week by unanimous consent. Let's do it!"
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also chimed in, saying, "We spent months trying to secure $2,000 checks but Republicans blocked it. Trump needs to sign the bill to help people and keep the government open and we're glad to pass more aid Americans need." Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she has the legislation already written and "ready to go."
The House will meet on Thursday for a pro forma session, during which Pelosi could advance the $2,000 stimulus checks. For this to work, however, all House Republicans would need to be on board and Senate Republicans would also have to unanimously pass the measure, The Washington Post reports.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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