Loeffler said she’d consider backing $2,000 checks

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) said Wednesday she’d consider supporting legislation on direct payments of $2,000 if it shifted money from “wasteful spending” toward that purpose.

“I’ll certainly look at supporting it if it repurposes wasteful spending toward that,” she said at a campaign event.

Loeffler’s comments come after President Trump on Tuesday criticized the coronavirus relief bill and government funding package that Congress passed Monday. The president urged lawmakers to increase the direct payments in the measure from $600 to $2,000.

Loeffler voted for the bill, which passed with large, bipartisan support. It’s unclear what will happen next with the bill.

Loeffler’s response to Trump’s comments is being closely watched because she is a candidate in one of the two Jan. 5 Senate runoffs in Georgia that will determine which party controls the Senate next year. Her Democratic opponent, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, has made supporting stimulus checks a part of his campaign message and on Wednesday called on Loeffler to back $2,000 payments.

“As I’ve said from the start, the Senate should have acted on this months ago and support for Georgians should have been far greater. Donald Trump is right, Congress should swiftly increase direct payments to $2,000,” Warnock said in a statement. “Once and for all Senator Loeffler should do what’s best for Georgia instead of focusing on what she can do for herself.”

Warnock said on Twitter that Loeffer’s comments Wednesday sounded like the Republican was “a no” on $2,000 direct payments.

Loeffler accused Democrats of holding up relief for small businesses for months for political reasons.

“It’s incredibly important that Georgians hold Democrats accountable for that on Jan. 5, and know that they have someone in Washington that is going to make sure that we have targeted relief, that we’re responsible with taxpayer dollars, and that we get that funding to them as soon as we can,” she said.