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After Senate Vote, COVID-19 Bill Returns to House
After a narrow Senate approval, the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 bill returns to the House. During the weekend, the Senate passed the relief bill but attached concessions it deemed necessary. The chamber expects a procedural vote and final passage as early as Tuesday.
RELATED: $15 Minimum Wage Ruled Not Part of COVID Relief Bill
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D- NY) expressed relief at getting the job done. “We passed the most significant bill in the history of the last 10 years and every Democrat voted for it. This was a very hard thing to get done,” he said. With the Senate majority hanging on the Vice President making a tiebreaker, he cannot afford to alienate Progressives further. If Schumer loses as much as a single vote, the Dems lose the majority.
Senate Changes
The Senate approved the COVID-19 bill over the weekend even as All Senate Republicans voted against the measure. Similar to the House, many balked at the steep budget and the presence of many items unrelated to COVID-19. “This was not really about coronavirus in terms of the spending. This was a liberal wish list of liberal spending, just basically filled with pork,” said Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. “
For example, the provision on setting the federal minimum wage at $15 per hour didn’t make the final version. A few days after the Senate parliamentarian recommended that the minimum wage provision have no direct bearing on the COVID-19 relief program. Another change involved Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). He threw another roadblock when he declined to back the Dems’ original proposal for unemployment aid. With each vote critical to the Senate’s 50-50 composition, Democrats scrambled to keep the current $300 per week jobless benefit boost in place through September 6 to make Manchin agree. This replaces the original proposal of $400 a week benefits until August. In addition, the new proposal also makes the first $10,200 assistance tax-free.
House Up for A Vote Again
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now faces the task of managing her fragile coalition. The first time the original $1.9 trillion packages passed, the vote ended in 219-212, with two Democrats voting no. Progressive Democrats are none too happy about the changes, especially with the loss of the minimum wage. She now needs to marshal forces to ensure the majority holds together to vote for the Senate version.
Over the weekend, key progressives in the House appeared poised to support the relief bill a second time. “Despite the fact that we believe any weakening of the House provisions were bad policy and bad politics, the reality is that the final amendments were relatively minor concessions,” said Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). She chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “We remain extremely disappointed that the minimum wage bill was not included. The minimum wage remains an essential policy and we must deliver on this issue,” she added.
Senator Joe Manchin
After the Senate narrowly passed the relief bill, Manchin praised the bill but reiterated his stance. He will not cooperate with Democrat calls to change Senate rules so bills can pass with a simple majority vote. “I’m not going to change my mind on the filibuster,” Manchin said. “I’m not going to go there until my Republican friends have the ability to have their say also,” he added.
Manchin did say he’s open to making procedural filibusters harder to employ. “If you want to make it a little bit more painful, make them stand there and talk, I’m willing to look at any way we can. But I am not willing to take away the involvement of the minority,” Manchin told the media.
Wasteful Spending
Not a single Republican voted Yes for the COVID-19 bill, also known as the American Rescue Plan. Among the key targets for wasteful spending include $350 billion in state, local and tribal aid. GOP senators also called out $170 billion set aside for K-12 schools and higher education. “This isn’t a pandemic rescue package. It’s a parade of left-wing pet projects that they are ramming through during a pandemic,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., declared last Friday. In addition, the Republicans said a stronger than expected February jobs report means that the US won’t need nearly $2 trillion more in the stimulus.
Watch the Today video reporting that over the weekend, the Senate passes the $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill:
Loading ...Do you support the current American Rescue Plan now that it does not contain provisions for a minimum wage? Or do you still find the relief package too expensive? Let us know what you think. Share your comments below.
28 Comments
It does not matter how much more ridiculous debt this idiotic bill puts on the backs of tax paying Americans since this bill is designed to help the rich, self entitled and illegals. If you do not think that we are headed for a depression with these idiots running the country then you are one of the three groups of fools I just mentioned!!
I DO NOT SUPPORT ANYTHING DEMOCRATS PUT FORTH BECAUSE IT NEVER HAS AMERICANS FIRST ITS ALWAYS DEMOCRATS FIRST AND F##K AMERICA PERIOD
It looks like the lunatics (democrats) are running the asylum .This is insanity.
no one can spend there way out of poverty one has too WORK
I agree with ALL of the above comments !
Let’s just be honest, this bill is designed to fund the “fundamental reimagining” of America. Less than one percent for actual COVID-19(84) relief and the rest to fund the Marxist coup. This bill is specifically aimed at disempowering working people while paying-off the liberal base (for now). Travel restrictions are coming, FEMA camps are coming, disarming the citizenry is coming, your ability to feed your family without participating in the coup is coming, and this bill is helping to pave the way. The Great Reset is here and by the end “you’ll own nothing and be happy about it”.
“So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.” ~ Voltaire
I support the Rescue Plan but there is too much unnecessary spending in the plan.Corporations who made trillions of dollars in the Stock Market could also contribute to the American Resue Plan.
When you vote in 2022, remember what the Deviant, Draconian “Dims” did the your Country, your Economy & to You.
PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS CHEATED OUT OF HIS SECOND TERM BY THE CORRUPT DEMS WHO COULD NOT win IN A FAIR AND HONEST ELECTION.
WHAT IS MOST GLARING IS THAT THEY AND ANYONE CALLING THEMSELVES democrats ARE ALL CORRUPT BY APPROVING OF THESE enemies OF AMERICA AND SHOULD BE PROSECUTED AS SUCH.
WHY WOULD ANY PATRIOTIC AMERICAN SUPPORT SUCH GLARING CORRUPTION AND ABANDONMENT OF OUR CONSTITUTION.
THE BLATANT ROBBERY OF NOV. 3 ,2020 SHOULD BE OVERTURNED AND THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS BE REPLACED BY INTELLIGENT ACTIONS TO PROTECT AMERICAS SOVEREIGNTY THAT HAS AND WILL KEEP AMERICA GREAT.
JUSTICE AND FREEDOM NEEDS TO BE AMERICANS BATTLE CRY.
IM NOT SURE OR FEEL KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE WELFARE OF MANY PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I WOULD LLIKE TO SEE PEOPLE BE ABLE TO KEEP THEIR POSSESSIONS AND HOMES, BUT AM CONCERNED BY ALL THE MONEY THE GOVERNMENT IS SPENDING. SEEMS WE’LL HAVE A HARD TIME PAYING IT BACK. BUT MY SYMPATHY IS WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ESPECIALLY FAMILIES FALL INTO HARD MONETARY TIMES. I THINK THE BILL THE PRESIDENT IS PUSHING IS FULL OF OTHER STUFF THAT IS NOT CRUCIAL TO WELFARE OF THE COUNTRY. I PRAY THAT OUR PRESIDENT WILL SEEK GOD IN THESE DECISIONS, WHICH WILL RESULT IN GOOD FOR ALL OF US.
Thay would rather put our tax money into other country’s rather than the people in the USA first. And for foreigners wanting asylum in the USA for a better life that’s where our money will go first. So must as been lost here in our country cause they couldn’t protect our borders from a foreign disease.
The bill is total bull, it needs to be totally Covid related. 9% of this bill is steered toward Covid. This is tax payers money not theirs. Help the people that are effected financially by Covid only. Many people have not been effected financially but we just pay out tens millions. Way to much in this thing. I would like to see a list of what all is included in this monster. Every tax paying American should get a detailed list of where this money is going and why.
This is so typical of our over spending over paid Democratic government.
Lets adjust wages down for all government positions to help pay for the stimulus, then lets see what is voted through.
THE REAL QUESTION YOU NEEDED TO ASK WAS: WITH ONLY 9% OF THE STIMULUS BILL GOING TOWARDS WHAT IT WAS INTENDED TO DO AND PEOPLE TO HELP AND THE REST PORK FOR PELOSI & SHUMERS’ STATES & BAILING OUT RED STATES THAT ARE IN DEBT, SHOULD WE SUPPORT THIS ASININE BILL AT ALL. AND THE CORRECT ANSWER OF COURSE IS ABSOLUTELY ***NO***
Other than Covid relief, nothing else is needed. Everything else is just Democratic pet projects and not needed.
People don’t need any more ‘free’ money that we(working people) will have to pay in taxes. I don’t want my, forced to pay, taxes going to illegals, planned parenthood or felons (included those in congress and the senate). Stop spending our taxes on our illegally elected politicians and their personal agendas. Open up the business that our illegally elected pedophile president the bogus bicycle vp and their crony governors have ruined. Get people to work! Stop taking jobs! We do not need a higher minimum wage. Stop forcing people out of business!
Well I guess they’ll just have to pass it to see what’s in it-Nancy Piglosi! Dear US Government, tha k you for this plandemic. And thank you for doing your very best to break this country in every way possible. You’re ALL fired! Pack up your belongings now.
It smell like a lot of demorat bull. God bless the U.S.A
What atrocious acts by our President to increase unemployment by shutting down good paying jobs for no good reason; just to show us he has the power. And I doubt, considering our President’s mental capacity, that it was him, alone, making all these stupid decisions. He opened our borders at an absolute WRONG time. We have no jobs for ALL these illegals and NO schools to meet the needs of all these children (and no funds for their social needs; housing, food, medical care) Mr. Biden is a puppet being manipulated by the rich Democrats and the absurdity of Pelosi and her clan.
The bill should be Titled: Socialist Implementation Plan. It is disgusting that they are issuing another funding bill of any kind when there is still one trillion dollars from previous plans that is unspent. There are a lot of people out there hurting and the Dems have stalled for months. This bill is supposed to be the salvation of the people and small businesses really hurting. Bull Hockey!!!!
There needs to be immediate action to find a way to determine the people with real needs and focus the upcoming payments to them as well as small businesses. It has been reported that after the first stimulus a significant number of people paid down their bills….Those folks did not need the stimulus. The man I saw on TV saying he had been offered a job but did not have the money to travel to the job location is the one who needs the help. The small businesses that have closed for good should not have had to—stimulus funds were just pushed out without rhyme or reason. With all the time the Dems stalled, an effective plan could have been put in place.
Trump had a bill that was no where close to 2 trillion dollars….we got 1200 this nonsense is looted by Pelosi 1.4 million for her state right it’s for her pocket! If they spend trillions then give everyone a million dollars and we want need any stimulus money ! That sound as good as giving all the POLITICIANS A CUT OF THE BILL TO GET MORE MONEY FOR THEIRSELVES!! The Democratic Party does not care about the AMERICANS OR OUR COUNTRY THEY WILL BANKRUPT IT IN SIX MONTHS 🇺🇸
I am completely against ANY Covid-19 Relief bill that has money to bail out the states that are so poorly run by Democrats – if they don’t know how to spend their state money, let them go bankrupt!
A Bill should never contain any expenditures that have absolutely nothing to do with the Bill which is being introduced. The Bill introduced regarding Covid-19 relief package relates to ONLY 9% of monies going to the actual needs brought about by this crisis!!! American first responders, working men and women, and in fact all reasonable Americans agree that Pelosi, Schumer, AOC, and the rest need to GET OFF THEIR RESPECTIVE HIGH HORSES, get back down to earth and work the will of the American people!
Angrily, yet respectfully submitted for We The People, because literally everyone I talk to feels the same way!!
Cindy
It is full of non-covid related expenditures. It is a terrible bill by the worst hose we have had in years to support a President that was the best the Democratic Party could present to the American people. If Republicans and Independents had any guts, they would put all the non-covid line items on billboards across the nation reminding how Democrats spent “their” covid relief money and the reason taxes are going up and up and up!
ITS ALL A HOAX. Covid, everything. Democrats, Rinos, NASA, CIA, all a big joke and laughing stock of the Workd. I agree with all of the previous comments. This bill is a sham, just like everything since 1871. This country run by a bunch of Marxist Commies who are nothing but a bunch of hypocritical Queers.
Our congressman have failed to uphold their sworn oaths to protect and defend our State and Nation from all foreign and domestic enemies! The states that sent them to Washington or their state capitals need to recall these so called REPRESENTATIVES for failures to do what they swore to do.
It is high time we take our nation back and do it before Biden lets the entire world into our nation! Our so called “REPS” are supporting foreigners more than they are Americans! Voting against America and its destruction with no borders ERASES OUR NATION!!! Wake up America don’t let these commie lovers take us down!!!! They challenge our rights to free speech, 2nd amendment, and our religion, they don’t want us to own property or anything else. Look at Venezuela, China, Cuba, what more proof do you need socialism does not work. Send Sanders and Biden packing ASAP!!!
These socialist Democrats are trying to remake America by canceling legal American citizens. Bringing in Illegals to implement them in our country and take over our jobs and country just so they will get votes and stay in power. Something needs to be done at our border because while our country is being invaded they are passing bills in congress that badly affects every American. They are sneaking in covid illegals and spreading them throughout our states. Where the heck is our security for this country. Right now we’re having a National security cris right now.
They are making us pay for the destruction of our country.
I didn’t hear any of you BITCHING about your daddy trump and his tax cut for rich people and what that done to the deficit.