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- GOP Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue said on Tuesday that they would support President Donald Trump’s push to increase direct stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000 per person.
- The two senators, who are locked in tight Senate runoff elections in Georgia, had been closely watched in recent days as the stimulus debate has become a potent attack from their Democratic challengers.
- “The president has fought for our country from day one,” Loeffler said. “He continues to fight for every single American. I’ve stood by the president 100% of the time and I’m proud to do that. I’ve said absolutely, we need to get relief to Americans now. I will support that.”
- “I support this push for $2,000 in direct relief for the American people,” Perdue tweeted.
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GOP Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who are locked in tight Senate runoff elections in Georgia, said on Tuesday that they would support President Donald Trump’s push to increase direct stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000 per person.
During an appearance on the Fox News morning program “Fox & Friends,” Loeffler expressed her unwavering support for Trump in publicly backing the president’s proposal.
“The president has fought for our country from day one,” she said. “He continues to fight for every single American. I’ve stood by the president 100% of the time and I’m proud to do that. I’ve said absolutely, we need to get relief to Americans now. I will support that.”
—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 29, 2020
In a morning tweet, Perdue praised Trump in declaring his support for the outgoing president’s proposal.
“President @realdonaldtrump is right – I support this push for $2,000 in direct relief for the American people,” he wrote.
—David Perdue (@Perduesenate) December 29, 2020
The stimulus debate has become a major issue in Loeffler's contest against Democrat Raphael Warnock, as well as the separate runoff election featuring Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff.
The significant show of support for Trump's proposal from Loeffler and Perdue now puts additional pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky for increasing the size of direct payments.
Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted 275-134 to increase direct payments in the COVID-19 relief package from $600 to $2,000, with 44 Republicans joining a nearly unanimous Democratic vote in support of the bill.
In recent days, GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Josh Hawley of Missouri have all said that they would vote in support of $2,000 checks, a growing sign of conservative defections in favor of increased payments.
McConnell has not yet stated if the measure will get a floor vote in the Senate.
On December 27, Trump signed the $2.3 trillion COVID-19 relief and government funding bill into law, despite his criticism that the economic relief checks weren't substantial enough.
Loeffler was initially on the fence about legislation for direct payments of $2,000, saying at a December 23 event that she would "certainly look at supporting it if it repurposes wasteful spending."
With Trump and the House on board for $2,000 direct payments, the Senate is the last remaining key for this legislation to come to fruition. If the bill passes, it would represent a significant level of economic aid in a country that has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic.