Senate GOP blocks votes again on $2,000 stimulus checks

Yahoo Finance’s Jessica Smith joined Yahoo Finance Live to break down the latest DC update as Americans hope for a $2,000 stimulus check.

Video Transcript

SIBILE MARCELLUS: But I want to talk about those $2,000 stimulus checks. Many Americans were hoping to be able to get that. Now what we're hearing is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is saying that he sees no quick path to a vote on those checks, and you've got Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who's still pushing for them. So for the very latest on what's happening in Washington, D.C. right now, I want to bring in Yahoo Finance's Jessica Smith. Jessica, are we any closer to seeing those $2,000 stimulus checks?

JESSICA SMITH: No closer to seeing those checks. The debate has been playing out yet again on the Senate floor today, and Democrats tried to vote on that bill that the House already passed to increase stimulus checks to $2,000. But Republicans yet again blocked that effort.

We heard from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the floor today saying, again, he wasn't going to break up the issues that President Trump has been pushing. And then, we heard from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said, OK, we'll vote on all of those, but let's do them individually. Doing it individually at least gives the chance for those checks to pass.

Democrats insist that the only way to get this done before the new Congress is to take up the bill that the House already passed. McConnell spent quite a bit of time today on the floor bashing the bill, bashing that House-passed bill, calling it "socialism for the rich" at one point. So it doesn't look like these $2,000 checks are going to happen this Congress.

But this debate will come back in the new year, most likely. We know President-elect Biden has said that he'd like to see another round of stimulus checks, though he hasn't said what number. He hasn't said how much he would like those checks to be. So once the new Congress is sworn in, there's a good chance that we're hearing this debate all over again.

SIBILE MARCELLUS: Absolutely. And we will definitely be there to cover every single detail of it with you, Jessica, leading the charge. Jessica Smith in D.C., thanks so much.