House Votes in Favor of $2,000 Stimulus Checks – Bill Now Goes to Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Monday in favor of increasing direct COVID-19 relief payments to Americans from $600 to $2,000.

President Trump signed off on the bill Sunday after initially resisting, partly in response to what he called a "measly" six hundred bucks for Americans struggling right now. The House obviously agrees, but there's been resistance from the GOP-led Senate.

The Associated Press reports that the House vote for more assistance was 275-134.

It's unclear if the Senate will vote on the bill Tuesday. NBC News reports that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would press for a vote, but there's been no word from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. CBS News reports that the effort to issue larger stimulus checks does have some support from a few Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham and Josh Hawley.

Critics of increased stimulus payments say they offer no incentive for people to get back to work. I know plenty of people searching for work right now, and a little bit of financial relief would help tremendously. Even if they spend it on gas to get to in-person interviews or to pay bills to take some of the pressure off, a larger stimulus check would go a long way toward helping them get back into the workforce.