#Mitch McConnell blocks unanimous passage of $2,000 COVID checks

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked unanimous passage of $2,000 COVID-19 stimulus checks.

McConnell (R-Ky.) objected after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) asked for unanimous passage.

It’s unclear if McConnell will allow a floor vote on the bill that passed the House on Monday with 44 Republican votes.

President Trump requested the $2,000 checks last week, saying the $600 checks approved as part of a $2.3 trillion pandemic relief and government funding bill were too small.

The House-passed legislation would change the $600 amount to $2,000. The checks are means-tested.

People earning more than $75,000 per year would get less money and people who earn more than $95,000 would get nothing. For married couples filing taxes jointly, the checks would decrease for income over $150,000 and would zero out at $190,000.

The $2.3 trillion bill, which Trump signed Sunday, creates a new $300 weekly supplement for unemployed people and adds $284 billion in Paycheck Protection Program forgivable small business loans. It also authorized $600 stimulus checks per dependent child.