Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked Schumer’s attempt to hold a stand-alone vote on $2,000 stimulus checks.

Senators Sanders and Schumer attempted to get consent from the Senate to bring up a measure that narrowly passed the House on Monday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer moved to pass the bill by unanimous consent, which meant it would advance if no other senator objected. But McConnell quickly objected to the measure, which would have increased the size of the checks to $2,000 from $600.

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The House voted 275-134 to give $2,000 direct payments to Americans.

McConnell signaled he would package the increased stimulus checks and tie it to a bill focused on repealing Section 230 and election reforms.

“During this process, the president highlighted three additional issues of national significance he would like to see Congress tackle together,” McConnell said signaling a new package.

“Those are the three important subjects the president has linked together. This week the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus,” he added.

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Democrats will likely not support McConnell in his push for a new package because they don’t support election reform and don’t support repealing protections for tech companies.

Senator Sanders on Tuesday called McConnell’s push to package the $2,000 stimulus checks with other provisions a “poison pill.”

President Trump reacted to McConnell’s move to block the stimulus checks.

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“Unless Republicans have a death wish, and it is also the right thing to do, they must approve the $2000 payments ASAP. $600 IS NOT ENOUGH! Also, get rid of Section 230 – Don’t let Big Tech steal our Country, and don’t let the Democrats steal the Presidential Election. Get tough!” Trump said in a tweet Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders said that he will filibuster a Senate override of President Donald Trump’s military bill veto unless the chamber votes on legislation providing $2,000 checks to Americans.

McConnell and the Senate want to expedite the override vote and I understand that,” Sanders told reporters Monday evening. “But I’m not going to allow that to happen unless there is a vote, no matter how long that takes, on the $2,000 direct payment.”

The House overwhelmingly voted to override Trump’s NDAA veto Monday, and the Senate is expected to do the same after originally passing the bill 84-13. Though the senator is unable to permanently block the override vote, he can delay it into 2021, keeping senators in D.C. through the end of the year and possibly complicating things for Senate Republicans.

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