WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), a Cleveland Democrat and one of two U.S. senators from Ohio, is calling for a quick Senate vote on increasing direct payments to Ohioans struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic from $600 to $2,000.

Brown said Wednesday that he will continue pushing for badly-needed COVID relief as Ohioans face increased economic uncertainty and rising case numbers at the same time they’re fighting to keep themselves and loved ones healthy and safe.

The virus has spread to all 50 states and Washington, D.C. and the nation has more than 20 million reported cases and some 341,000 people dead since early March when the pandemic hit the U.S. with a vengeance, worldwide figures showing that there are some 82 million cases globally and roughly 1.8 million deaths.

Senate Republicans blocked a legislative measure pushed by Congressional Democrats that would have boosted $600 stimulus checks relative to the coronavirus pandemic to $2,000.

The House had voted 275 to 134 on Monday to approve the bill for a stimulus checks hike and the measure was before the Senate on Tuesday where McConnell, 78, gave it a thumbs down and refused emphatically to support the proposed legislation.

The COVID-19 relief  measure sought to remedy a discrepancy between Congressional Democrats and Republicans over the amount of monies allocated for individuals struggling to put food on the table as the crimpling pandemic rages across America, and the world.

The House voted 359-53 on Dec. 22 to pass a $900 billion Covid-19 relief package shorty before the Senate approved the measure in a 92-6 vote.

It was the second major relief bill since the coronavirus pandemic hit the country in early March with a vengeance, this latest package providing stimulus checks of up to $600 per person for individuals earning $75,000 per year and married couples who earn up to $150,000, with $600 more for each dependent under 18 living in the same household.

President Trump, however, initially refused to sign the $900 billion relief package measure and instead demanded an increase in individual stimulus checks from $600 $2,000.

The president later signed the deal into law with the expectation that stimulus monies would subsequently be increased by Congress through additional legislation, prompting Pelosi to get House  Democrats, with some Republican support, to pass Monday's measure to increase COVID-19 relief checks from $600 to $2,000, that issue now in limbo after McConnell refused to bring the measure before the full Senate.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sided with the president as to the need for increased stimulus monies and led the House in passing the bill for $2,000 in stimulus checks as the country waits this afternoon to see if the Senate, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will pass the controversial matter.

Brown is calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to take quick action on the House-passed legislation for $2.000

A seasoned federal lawmaker, Sen. Brown has led efforts to get meaningful direct payment assistance to Ohioans who are financially struggling amid the pandemic, including:

· Revealing a proposal in March with Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) to provide a $2,000 immediate cash payment to every adult, child (or non-child dependent), and recipient of Social Security, Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The proposal calls for additional cash payments should the public health crisis extend, or if the unemployment rate increases.

· Passing legislation he introduced with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) to protect CARES Act recovery payments provided from garnishment by private debt collectors

· Successfully pushing the Treasury Department to issue stimulus checks automatically to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries, whose information is already available to the federal government, without forcing them to file separate tax returns.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper in Ohio and in the Midwest, and the most read independent digital news in Ohio. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.