Trump's call for $2,000 cheques blocked in Senate
The US Senate's Republican head has rejected calls from an unlikely alliance of President Donald Trump, congressional Democrats plus some Republicans to improve coronavirus aid.
Mitch McConnell said walking aid cheques from $600 (£440) to $2,000 would be "another fire hose of borrowed funds".
The Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives had voted to improve the payments to Americans.
The outgoing president's intervention has divided his fellow Republicans.
Congress agreed the smaller $600 payments in a good Covid relief and federal government funding bill that Mr Trump sent back to Capitol Hill before Christmas, with the president in search of higher stimulus payments.
On Mon, congressional Democrats - usually sworn political foes of Mr Trump - passed the measure for $2,000 cheques that he requested.
A large number of House Republicans, reluctant to defy Mr Trump, sided with Democrats to approve the program.
Mr Trump begrudgingly signed the initial bill with the lower payments into laws on Sunday, but has continued to demand more money.
"Unless Republicans have a death wish, in fact it is as well the right move to make, they need to approve the $2,000 repayments ASAP," he tweeted on Tuesday.
