On Monday, the House passed a bipartisan bill to increase direct stimulus payments from $600 per person to $2,000 per person, sending it to the Senate. Its fate there is uncertain, however, because while outgoing President Donald Trump demanded this increase, there is no indication that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is on board with it, nor a critical mass of the GOP Senate caucus.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), however, has a plan to try to force a vote on the issue, outlined by both himself and longtime adviser Ari Rabin-Havt: Until McConnell allows a vote on the measure, he will move to block a veto override to pass the annual defense budget.
The defense bill was vetoed by the president over a provision renaming military bases named for Confederate officers. He also objected to Congress' refusal to repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a liability shield for internet sites that host third-party content — something he incorrectly believes would allow him to sue Twitter and Facebook for fact-checking or removing his posts.
