When President Trump threatened to veto Congress' latest stimulus package last week, demanding Americans receive $2,000 stimulus checks instead of $600, Democrats were quick to agree.
The House of Representatives called for "unanimous consent," which woud have approved the $2,000 payments immediately, but the motion was denied by Republicans in the House.
House Democrats then drew up an official bill for the $2,000 payments and sent it to the Senate, but Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly refused to hold a vote on the legislation.
Many Democratic Senators are now attempting to sway McConnell by appealing to the public. On Wednesday, December 30, independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont took to the Senate floor to argue for the $2,000 checks.
Sanders used an unexpected prop during his speech—print-outs of tweets from President Trump himself.
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Sanders said, pointing towards Trump's tweet:
"We have a very unlikely ally in President Trump,"
"Nobody here has disagreed with Trump more times than I have, and yet here is what the leader of the Republican Party says. $2,000 ASAP!"
It's unclear whether the bill would pass the Senate if it was brought to the floor for a vote, but Sanders, like many of the Democratic senators, believes Americans deserve to see where their representatives stand on the issue.
"If you want to vote against $2,000 check for people in your state, vote against it."
2020 has produced many strange sights, but Bernie Sanders agreeing with President Trump might be the strangest yet.
Many people on Twitter couldn't help but laugh at Bernie's large-scale signage.
While Democrats may have public opinion on their side, the $2,000 stimulus bill's fate is entirely in the hands of Mitch McConnell, who can easily kill it if he feels voting on it would put Republicans in a tough position.
At this point in time, it seems unlikely that McConnell will budge.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram