Erik Wasson<\/b>
\nErik Wasson Bloomberg News Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday closed off chances that the Senate would pass anytime soon a House bill that would give most Americans $2,000 stimulus payments. The Kentucky Republican said the House legislation, approved in a bipartisan vote Monday, \u201chas no realistic path\u201d to quick passage in the Senate and that it falls short of the demands of President Donald Trump. He again blocked an attempt by Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to adopt the House bill to increase the payments to $2,000 from the $600 by unanimous consent. The Senate instead will work on combining the stimulus payments with measures on election integrity and rolling back social media liability protections, he said. That responds to all three issues Trump has said he wants, but a bill combining them likely will alienate enough senators in both parties to leave prospects for bigger stimulus payments dead in the Senate. \u201cThe Senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into the hands of the Democrats\u2019 rich friends who don\u2019t need the help,\u201d McConnell said. The House bill would raise the income cutoff to receive a payment. The clash over the payments also is entangling another piece of year-end business in the Senate \u2014 a vote to override Trump\u2019s veto of a crucial $740.5 billion defense policy bill. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey said they will continue to delay the defense legislation vote unless McConnell relents and allows a vote on a standalone bill on the bigger stimulus checks. \u201cWe are saying to Mitch McConnell, to allow the United States Senate to do what it\u2019s supposed to do, and that is the vote,\u201d Sanders told reporters. \u201cThe House passed the bill, it\u2019s over here right now. Do you want to vote against it? Then vote against it.\u201d Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey later blocked an attempt by Sanders to call up the House bill for a roll call vote. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com CoronavirusDonald TrumpPolitics<\/p>\n