Democrats are now vowing to push $2,000 stimulus payments through to Americans after their party won control of the Senate this week, thanks to their victories in two Georgia runoffs.
According to The Hill, Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer, who is set to become the new majority leader when Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20, said on Wednesday that “one of the first things that I want to do when our new senators are seated is deliver the $2,000 checks to the American families.”
President-elect Biden said at a rally right before Election Day that electing the two Democratic candidates in Georgia would flip the majority and put an end to the GOP’s blockade, which prevented the bigger checks from reaching American families who are in serious need of more coronavirus relief.
“We need urgent action on what comes next because the COVID-19 crisis hits red states and blue states alike,” Biden said in a statement on Wednesday.
Both Warnock and Ossoff had advocated for larger direct payments to Americans in the weeks leading up to Georgia’s historical runoffs.
While the exact timing of any Democratic legislation to boost the check amounts is unclear, the passage won’t likely happen until after Inauguration Day.
