Good morning, hope you were able to dig out of the snow. In case you missed it, the push for bigger $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks stalled out Tuesday afternoon in the Senate as Republicans blocked a swift vote proposed by Democrats and split within their own ranks over whether to boost spending or defy the White House.
President Donald Trump has been pushing for the bigger checks and a growing number of Republicans have also said they back the larger amount. Still, a majority of GOP senators oppose more spending.
Senators will be back at it Wednesday as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is devising a way out of the political bind, but the outcome is highly uncertain.
Trump lashed out at congressional Republicans on Tuesday after the House easily voted to override his veto of a defense policy bill.
The Associated Press reports: "A total of 109 Republicans, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a member of GOP leadership, joined with Democrats on Monday to approve the override, which would be the first of Trump’s presidency. The Senate is expected to consider the measure later this week."
While McConnell wants a vote Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders pushed back, saying McConnell must allow a vote on the COVID-19 relief payments first.
In local politics, Minnesota could be on the edge of losing a congressional seat after a 'chaotic' census count.
The Star Tribune reports: "The state is just 25,554 people short of holding on to all eight congressional seats, according to recent population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Minnesota comes in behind New York but ahead of Ohio, California and Virginia on the list of states that grew in the past decade — but not enough to hold its current clout in Washington, D.C." | 