Senator Chuck Schumer, who leads the Democratic caucus in the Senate, assured this Wednesday that, when the victory of the two Democratic candidates in the second round of Georgia is confirmed,
the priority in the Upper House will be the approval of the check for $ 2,000
, which has so far been blocked by Republicans.
Two seats were up for grabs in the runoff Tuesday in Georgia.
On Wednesday the forecast was that both Democrats, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, have won with which the Democratic Party will have the majority in the Senate.
That party also already controls the House of Representatives and, as of January 20, the White House will be a Democrat as well.
"One of the first things I want to do when our new senators are seated is hand out checks for $ 2,000 to American families," Schumer told a news conference Wednesday morning.
Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of the two contested seats, beating Republican Kelly Loeffler, and Ossoff gained an advantage over outgoing Republican Senator David Perdue.
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“Democratic senators know that the United States is suffering.
Help is on the way,
”added Schumer.
However, Democrats will
not be able to pass the bill without the support of some Republicans
, as such a measure requires at least 60 votes to advance.
Democrats would have 51, hardly a simple majority, taking into account that whoever serves as the vice presidency has a tiebreaker vote in the Upper House.
Beginning January 20, the vice president will be Democrat Kamala Harris.
How to track your pandemic aid check.
The IRS enabled a tool
Jan. 5, 202101: 56
The until now still leader of the majority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has blocked three times in the last weeks that advance the proposal to increase the direct payments of aid, that form part of the new economic stimulus package, and for which some of millions of Americans have started receiving just $ 600.
The prospect of gaining control of the Upper House has turned what could have been a sleepy January runoff into an advertising spending bonanza centered on an economic message, linked to aid for the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the possibility of Congress discussing adopting a minimum wage of $ 15.
President-elect
Joe Biden, the first Democrat to win a Georgia presidential race since 1992
, joined Ossoff and Warnock in the campaign closing event before the vote.
There, Biden promised the voters of the southern state that:
"If you send Perdue and Loeffler back to Washington, those checks will never arrive.
It's that simple."
Some politicians have indicated that the results in Georgia will not be final until Friday, due to the high volume of ballots sent by mail both by the military and by citizens who preferred that voting modality due to the pandemic.
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To be counted, those ballots would have to have arrived no later than the same Tuesday before 7pm ET when the polls closed.
Because of the impact that runoff voting in Georgia will have on shaping Congress, the results will shape Biden's presidency.
“Friends, this is it.
It's a new year for Atlanta, for Georgia, and for America, "said Biden." Unlike any time in my career,
a state can chart the course.
Not just for the next four years, but for the next generation, ”
Biden reiterated at the last rally before the vote.
With information from NBC News.