President Trump kicked over the table in Washington, DC, on Tuesday night, December 22, suddenly demanding more than $600 for the stimulus checks provided by the $900 billion bailout bill that was painstakingly negotiated and passed overwhelmingly by the House and Senate last week

"It's called the Covid bailout bill, but it has almost nothing to do with Covid," Trump said in a video posted to his Twitter account, apparently unaware that the bailout bill was folded into the much larger 2021 budget bill, which is $600 He also failed to mention that the check figure came from his own White House

"I am asking Congress to fix this bill and raise the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000," Trump said 'Otherwise, the next administration will have to come up with the Covid bailout Otherwise, the next administration will have to come up with a Covid bailout

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) did not give this mess a moment's respite and sprang into action (Pelosi, in particular, is playing the ace card She has scheduled a vote in the House tomorrow (December 24) to amend the current 2021 spending bill, with the stimulus bill folded in, to increase the stimulus check to $2,000

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (R-NY), a darling of the left and a terror to the right, tweeted that she and colleague Rep Rashida Tribe (R-MI) are already working on an amendment

This could go in several different directions, not all of them good

First, there is little chance that Pelosi's planned $2,000 check amendment will pass The amendment would have to be unanimous in both houses of Congress, and there are not a few Republicans who would say "no"

Even if it passes the House, a vote in the Senate would have to wait until next week

If it passes both houses, great Everyone will be happy and the stimulus checks will start going out in the first week of 2021

If so, better do it soon As of midnight Tuesday, the current budget will expire and the federal government will suspend all non-essential services unless President Trump signs the bill (Trump is headed to a resort in Florida, where he plans to stay until after New Year's Day) [But if the amendment is rejected, Pelosi and Schumer's goal will be achieved They can say that the Republicans are blocking a larger stimulus check from going to the American people and are acting against Trump's wishes

If that happens, it will only increase the likelihood that the two Democratic Senate candidates will win the Georgia runoff in early January

If the $2,000 amendment does not pass, President Trump will be left with three options

Trump could sign the bill in the next few days Trump could bluff and declare victory even if he doesn't get what he wants If so, the stimulus checks will start flowing shortly after New Year's Day

Trump could also veto the bill between now and Sunday In that case, the House and Senate would have to meet on Monday for a veto override vote President Trump vetoed the Defense Bill of 2021 today, which also passed Congress with a veto-proof majority Once again, the stimulus checks will arrive in January

Finally, President Trump may veto a pocket veto, which is only possible at the end of a congressional session This session ends at noon Eastern time on Sunday, January 3

As Fox News' Chad Pergram explained on Twitter, normally a bill passed by Congress would be enacted if the president refuses to sign it for 10 days, excluding Sundays However, the bill, which together with the spending bill is more than 5,500 pages, has not yet been formally delivered to the president

If it is not delivered to the president today, President Trump can ignore the combined stimulus and spending bill, and the bill will die a neglected death

The government will be shut down until the next Congress can take it up again after noon on January 3, when its members will have to start all over again

In such a scenario, it is unclear how soon or when the second stimulus check will be disbursed to the American people