House Democrats' request for $2,000 checks for Americans is blocked
House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer was on the House floor Thursday morning to request unanimous consent on a bill that would send $2,000 in stimulus checks to the American people after Trump called on Congress to amend a newly passed coronavirus relief bill to increase direct payments to $2,000.
Trump indicated in a video posted to Twitter on Tuesday that he would not sign the $900 billion relief package passed by both chambers of Congress on Monday. The package provides $600 in direct payments for adults making up to $75,000 per year and children, with $2,400 for a family of four.
The unanimous consent vote attempted to call Trump's bluff and force Republicans to go on the record for their opposition to increasing direct payments from $600 to $2,000.
After Hoyer made the unanimous consent request, he was notified by the chair that his request did not have clearance from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and so his request was denied.
Separately, a GOP request to rollback US aid to foreign countries was also denied on the floor because the bill did not have clearance from Democrats.
Just after the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that the House will hold a recorded vote on the floor on Monday on a standalone bill on the $2,000 checks, which will put Republicans officially on the record.
On Monday, the House will also hold its veto override vote on the defense policy bill.
Government funding expires Monday night at midnight if Trump does not sign the spending bill and the COVID-19 relief bill.
“Hopefully by then the President will have already signed the bipartisan and bicameral legislation to keep the government open and to deliver coronavirus relief," Pelosi said in the statement.
-ABC News' Mariam Khan