New Stimulus Package Update

On Sunday evening, President Trump unexpectedly signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021,  (coronavirus stimulus bill) into law, releasing $900 billion in emergency relief funds into the economy and averting a Tuesday government shutdown. President Trump had previously stated he would not sign the bill unless the stimulus checks were increased to $2,000. On Monday, the House of Representatives passed a measure to increase checks for Americans as President Trump had championed but  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked an attempt to vote on the $2,000 stimulus checks approved by the House and resurrected the higher payments in a new bill that includes other items on President Trump's wish list: The creation of a commission to study election fraud and the repeal of Section 230, which shields social media companies from lawsuits.

As things currently stand, a second round of stimulus payments included in the $900 billion COVID relief package could possibly start going out this week.