Trump orders shutdown stimulus check 2 negotiations — what you need to know

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Although talks of new relief bill that includes stimulus check 2 seemed hopeful in recent days, President Trump has just pulled the White House out of negotiations and is asking the Senate to prioritize hearings for his Supreme Court nominee.

On Tuesday NBC News (opens in new tab) reported that the President told his "representatives to stop negotiating" a coronavirus stimulus package until next month's election has passed. 

In a series of tweets, the President also asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to "focus full time" on the process of approving his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

See more

By asking both his own stimulus bill negotiators and the Senate to stop stimulus bill talks, the President has pulled two of the three parties involved in the months-long efforts to approve a follow-up to March's CARES Act.

This change of direction comes after President Trump's coronavirus-related hospitalization over the weekend. On October 3, from the Walter Reed Medical Center, the President tweeted (opens in new tab), "OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE."

Despite his comments in favor of "very generous" direct payments, it appears he couldn't persuade negotiators to reach agreements on spending. But he certainly can withhold his support and signature from a stimulus bill.

As for a new stimulus check 2 date, the President tweeted, "After the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business."

Of course, he could reverse course again. But with the presidential election less than a month away, it seems stimulus check 2 talks are once again on hiatus.

Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is an editor at Tom’s Guide covering smartwatches, TVs and everything smart-home related. Kate also appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account (opens in new tab), which you should be following. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her on an exercise bike, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.