Bernie Sanders Pushes Biden for $2,000 Stimulus Checks as First Presidential Priority

Bernie Sanders Pushes Biden for $2,000 Stimulus Checks as First Presidential Priority

With little over a week before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated, some of his Democratic colleagues are pressuring him to prioritize coronavirus stimulus checks.On Monday, Senator Bernie Sanders said the direct payments must be the Biden administration's "first order of business."In response to Biden's call for $2,000 stimulus checks, Sanders tweeted, "President-elect Biden is absolutely right. $600 is not enough for working class Americans who are struggling to pay the rent and feed their families. Our first order of business must be to pass $2,000 direct payments and major COVID-relief."Biden tweeted Sunday evening that "$600 is simply not enough when you have to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table."Increasing the price tag on individual payments emerged as a key sticking point during Congress' last-minute efforts to secure a second relief bill before the end of the year.The stimulus bill introduced by a group of bipartisan lawmakers successfully passed the Senate only to be met with surprise news from President Donald Trump, who called on Congress to raise the individual payments from $600 to $2,000.Trump's push for larger checks was met with praise from many Democrats and long-time critics of the president, including Sanders, House Speaker Nancy