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Two House Republicans from Kentucky among 44 who voted in favor of $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks

Posted at 10:39 AM, Dec 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-29 10:39:25-05

WASHINGTON, D.C. (LEX 18) — Three of Kentucky's congressmen voted to increase direct payments to most Americans from $600 to $2,000 per person, two of which were Republicans.

The CASH Act, a bill that would increase stimulus checks for most Americans making less than $75,000 a year from $600 to $2,000, won the Democratic caucus by a 231-2 margin. Republicans voted 44-130, and Independents voted 0-2.

The 44 Republicans who voted to increase stimulus checks to $2,000 include Rep. James Comer (R-KY's 1st district) and Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY's 5th district). Rep. John Yarmuth, a Democrat who represents Kentucky's 3rd district, also voted for the bill.

Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY's 2nd district) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY's 4th district) voted against the bill. In a video posted by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee), Massie said the "debt train" was coming and said he is against spending more money after Congress passed the $900 billion stimulus package last week.

Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY's 6th district) did not vote.

The legislation now goes to the U.S. Senate, where its future is in question. It's unclear if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who largely controls what legislation gets to the floor, will allow the CASH Act to get a vote.

If the proposal to increase stimulus checks to $2,000 is signed, the stimulus bill's overall cost will go from $900 billion to $1.36 trillion, according to House data released on Monday.