Nearly half of Americans blame Republicans and McConnell, and 32% blame Democrats and Pelosi for the lack of $2,000 stimulus checks, a new poll shows

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

Alex Wong/Getty Images; Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

• Nearly half of Americans believe that "Republicans in Congress and Senator Mitch McConnell" was to blame for the inability to pass the $2,000 stimulus checks, according to a new poll published by the progressive think tank Data for Progress.
• Nearly one-third said the failure to pass the $2,000 checks was due to "Democrats in Congress and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi," according to the same poll.
• House lawmakers voted in favor of bumping the second round stimulus checks to $2,000 from $600, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to consider a standalone bill to increase the check amount.
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Nearly half of respondents to a newly released poll blamed Republican lawmakers and Senat Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for Congress' inability to agree on $2,000 stimulus checks. 

The new poll, published Friday by the left-leaning think tank Data for Progress, revealed that 47% of 1,166 people surveyed responded that "Republicans in Congress and Senator Mitch McConnell" were to blame for the delay in reaching a consensus on the checks.

In comparison, 32% said it was "Democrats in Congress and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi." Just 15% of respondents said President Donald Trump was to blame. 

After months of failures and stalled negotiations, lawmakers finally came to a consensus on a new coronavirus relief package at the end of December. President Trump initially refused to sign the deal, complaining about various provisions and urging that Congress include $2,000 stimulus checks, before eventually signing the bill on Sunday. The signed bill includes $600 stimulus checks. 

After the bill was signed, House lawmakers voted on a separate bill to bump the $600 stimulus checks up to $2,000. But the bill faces a roadblock in the Senate - McConnell recently rebuffed efforts to pass a standalone bill to increase the stimulus checks, Business Insider's Oma Seddiq reported.

• Read more:
• 'No realistic path to quickly pass the Senate': McConnell refuses to consider standalone bill on $2,000 stimulus checks
• Lindsay Graham slammed Mitch McConnell for delaying $2,000 stimulus payments: 'Going from $600 to $2,000 doesn't make you a socialist'
• With a Senate vote on $2,000 stimulus checks looming, Republicans face an agonizing choice between defying Trump and abandoning a tenet of conservatism
• Trump threw away his leverage by signing the COVID-19 package with $600 checks and can now only watch as McConnell blocks $2,000 payments

 

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