Sen. Sanders: I'll Stall Override of Trump's Defense Bill Veto to Force Vote on $2,000 Virus Checks

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., says he will filibuster a vote to override President Donald Trump's veto of the defense bill unless the Senate holds a vote on sending $2,000 COVID-relief payments to Americans, Politico reports.

"McConnell and the Senate want to expedite the override vote and I understand that, but I'm not going to allow that to happen unless there is a vote, no matter how long that takes, on the $2,000 direct payment," Sanders said Monday night.

Sanders cannot ultimately prevent an override vote, Politico noted, but he can delay it until Jan. 1, making things hard on Republicans. And that is part of his plan, he said.

The move would force both Sens. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and David Perdue, R-Ga., to stay in Washington rather than return home, where both are locked in tight reelection runoffs. Their fates at the ballot box next week will ultimately determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years.

The House voted Monday to override Trump's veto of the defense bill and to increase the relief payments to $2,000 from the $600 in the bill signed by Trump on Sunday night. Trump, after delaying for days, signed the bill on the condition that lawmakers take up a vote to increase the payment — something that Democrats readily agree to, but that members of his own party have challenged as too much.

"The American people are desperate, and the Senate has got to do its job before leaving town," Sanders told Politico. "It would be unconscionable, especially after the House did the right thing, for the Senate to simply leave Washington without voting on this."

• House Rejects Trump Veto of Defense Bill; Vote Sets Stage for 1st Override of Presidency
• House Approves $2,000 Coronavirus Aid Checks Sought by Trump