ATLANTA (NEXSTAR) — While pitching to Georgia voters on Monday, President-elect Joe Biden said if Democrats won those races, $2,000 stimulus checks would likely be on their way to most Americans.
Tuesday’s showdown in Georgia determines whether Democrats or Republicans have control of the Senate. If Democrats win, they’ll have control of the presidency, House and a split 50-50 Senate. With Kamala Harris in line to cast tie-breaking votes, it’s a clear path to approving their key priorities such as stimulus checks.
If incumbent Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler defeat Democratic opponents Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, the GOP will retain control of the Senate. To date, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been the primary roadblock to larger stimulus payments.
“If you send Jon and the Reverend to Washington, those $2,000 checks will go out the door,” Biden said Monday in Atlanta. “And if you send Sens. Perdue and Loeffler back to Washington, those checks will never get there. It’s just that simple. The power is literally in your hands.”
It’s worth noting that Loeffler and Perdue supported President Donald Trump’s eleventh-hour proposal to increase the size of stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000. The $600 bipartisan compromise had been considered a done deal and had won sweeping approval in the House and Senate after the White House assured GOP leaders that Trump supported it. After the $2,000 proposal was blocked in the GOP-controlled Senate, Trump signed the deal with smaller checks.
Over the last few weeks, it’s become clear Biden plans to push for a third stimulus check. The amount? That’s definitely up for debate, especially if Republicans control the Senate.
Biden has referred to this most recent $600 check as a “down payment” and is hopeful more relief is on the way. When asked by a reporter if he’d push for additional direct payments and what the amount might be, he wasn’t ready to commit to a price tag.
“Look, that’s a negotiating issue,” Biden said during a news conference before Christmas. “But it will, yes it will.”
