Senate Democrats trim parts of Biden's COVID-19 aid bill, Republicans threaten delay

[webfact]

Senate Democrats trim parts of Biden's COVID-19 aid bill, Republicans threaten delay

By Susan Cornwell and Andy Sullivan

 

FILE PHOTO: A man makes his way past the U.S. Capitol on the day the House of Representatives is expected to vote on legislation to provide $1.9 trillion in new coronavirus relief in Washington, U.S., February 26, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill would phase out $1,400 payments to high-income Americans in a compromise with moderate Democratic senators reached on Wednesday as the Senate prepares to vote on the bill.

 

The Democratic-controlled Senate expects to open debate on the package as early as Wednesday evening, with a final vote for passage seen later in the week. Before the bill hits the chamber floor, Democrats are negotiating limits to a measure Republicans have attacked as wasteful.

 

Senate Democrats said the proposal, which would block Americans earning $80,000 per year or more and couples earning $160,000 or more from receiving the $1,400 payments, was a good solution.

 

The income cutoff had been higher - $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for couples filing jointly - in the version of the legislation passed by the Democratic-led House of Representatives.

 

Senator Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat, told reporters: "I'm very pleased with the discussions and dialogues and some changes that have been agreed upon." But he said he did not know the fate of another change he sought, to scale back enhanced unemployment benefits to $300 a week from $400.

 

The compromise would mean about 9 million fewer households would get direct payments than did so in the last round of stimulus.

 

The 100-seat Senate, where control is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, will at some point consider a motion to begin 20 hours of debate on the sweeping legislation. That vote could be an early indicator of how much Republican opposition the package faces.

 

The bill would pay for vaccines and medical supplies, boost jobless assistance and send a new round of emergency financial aid to households, small businesses and state and local governments. Democrats aim to get it to Biden to sign into law before March 14, when some current benefits expire.

 

"The plan that we are going to vote on this week is going to provide real, robust relief for all of us," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

 

Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have denounced the bill. On Wednesday, McConnell called it a "vast catalog of liberal spending" and a partisan "smorgasbord of borrowed money" packed with "crazy provisions" unrelated to the pandemic, which has killed more than 517,000 Americans and left millions more jobless.

 

But a new Morning Consult/Politico poll showed strong bipartisan support for the measure despite the Republican attacks. It said 77% of all voters and 59% of Republicans backed the plan.

 

REPUBLICANS THREATEN DELAY

Republicans said they would take steps to drag out work on the legislation. Senator Ron Johnson said he would insist that the entire bill, hundreds of pages long, be read to the Senate at the start of the debate, instead of the usual practice of just reading the title. That alone could take 10 hours, he said.

 

In an interview with Wisconsin's 1130 WISN News/Talk radio, Johnson also said he intended to keep offering amendments to the bill.

 

Democrats have been seeking to sort out a welter of competing ideas as they seek to advance the bill.

 

A minimum-wage increase sought by Biden was ruled out last week. The Senate parliamentarian said it could not be included in the package while the Democrats are using a special procedure that allows them to pass the bill with a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes needed to advance most legislation in the chamber.

 

Democrats have shown no interest in dropping another partisan sticking point: $350 billion in aid for state and local governments, which face rising costs and uncertain tax revenues because of the pandemic.

 

A Reuters analysis found that Democratic-leaning states would get a larger share of that money this time around than they did under the first $150 billion of state and local aid that Congress approved last year.

 

Once the Senate votes on the bill, the House would then have to sign off on the changes before Biden can sign it into law.

 

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell and Andy Sullivan; Additional reporting by David Morgan and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-04

 

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[Thailand]

I guess that the promised delays to passing the bill should ensure a few more deaths to add to the Replicans total, carrying much the same as if Trump was still in charge- oops, he probablyis, plenty of ring kissing going on.

[Tug]

Even at the 80k per taxpayer threshold is quite generous imo but it’s money that will be spent for goods and or services so a win win personally I’m thinking of a new truck ( Jeep gladiator ) could use it as part of the down payment 

[vandeventer]

Keep cutting  the Pork,Pork, Pork!!! Way too much Pork. Your kids have to pay this money back.

[SunnyinBangrak]

9 hours ago, Thailand said:

I guess that the promised delays to passing the bill should ensure a few more deaths to add to the Replicans total

CNN stopped the death-a-thon covid corpse counter as soon as their man was in office - no point in alarmism any more is there? - but sorry to break it to you, people are dying of covid under the Biden administration. Any deaths now are on Bidens watch, and the pork bill looks to be mainly for unrelated stuff like bailing out blue states and other garbage which aint gonna help covid19 victims much 

[Srikcir]

9 hours ago, Tug said:

Even at the 80k per taxpayer threshold is quite generous imo but it’s money that will be spent for goods and or services so a win win personally I’m thinking of a new truck ( Jeep gladiator ) could use it as part of the down payment 

Income for stimulis is based on AGI so gross income can/will be much higher.

[Srikcir]

10 hours ago, Thailand said:

I guess that the promised delays to passing the bill should ensure a few more deaths to add to the Replicans total, carrying much the same as if Trump was still in charge- oops, he probablyis, plenty of ring kissing going on.

Democrats will have the majority with VP vote as a minimum; Biden is approving adjustments to House bill to satisfy concerned Democrat Senators. 

[candide]

42 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Any deaths now are on Bidens watch

Thanks for supporting Biden! ????

[Eric Loh]

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Keep cutting  the Pork,Pork, Pork!!! Way too much Pork. Your kids have to pay this money back.

The biggest pork has left the White House. Yes, he the one that left office with a record breaking budget deficit that your kids will be paying back. 

[vandeventer]

30 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

The biggest pork has left the White House. Yes, he the one that left office with a record breaking budget deficit that your kids will be paying back. 

How long are you going to blaming the greatest President America has ever had. It's Biden that is Destroying America day by day. Take off your rose color glasses and look at what's happening now in America. I feel sorry for you if you have family there as I do as  they are all worried like hell

[placeholder]

2 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

CNN stopped the death-a-thon covid corpse counter as soon as their man was in office - no point in alarmism any more is there? - but sorry to break it to you, people are dying of covid under the Biden administration. Any deaths now are on Bidens watch, and the pork bill looks to be mainly for unrelated stuff like bailing out blue states and other garbage which aint gonna help covid19 victims much 

Remember how Trump urged states  to drop restrictions in the spring of 2020?  

Do you see any difference between Trump's conduct and Biden's? Any difference at all? 

 

'Neanderthal thinking': Biden lays into states lifting Covid restrictions

The president's remark came after Texas and Mississippi moved to eliminate mask mandates and let all businesses open at 100 percent capacity.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/03/psaki-white-house-mask-restrictions-473348

[Sujo]

32 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

How long are you going to blaming the greatest President America has ever had. It's Biden that is Destroying America day by day. Take off your rose color glasses and look at what's happening now in America. I feel sorry for you if you have family there as I do as  they are all worried like hell

All left by trump. Lucky you are a minority as things looking better since he was dumped.

[Phoenix Rising]

Dr. Anthony Fauci Delivers Stark Warning To Republicans Easing Coronavirus Restrictions

 

"This week, the Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi announced plans to ease or even eliminate coronavirus restrictions, calling such restrictions “arbitrary.”

 

Dr. Fauci's reply:

"“They’re not arbitrary,” he said, “they’re based on evidence and data from science. We know that these interventions work, it’s very clear: When you implement them, you see the cases go down, when you pull back, the cases go up.”

 

I really hope those two morons get their @**es sued for all they're worth when the death toll rises. Too bad it will also affect sane people (as opposed to the anti-science, anti-vaxxer loonies) 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Phoenix Rising

[candide]

1 hour ago, vandeventer said:

How long are you going to blaming the greatest President America has ever had. It's Biden that is Destroying America day by day. Take off your rose color glasses and look at what's happening now in America. I feel sorry for you if you have family there as I do as  they are all worried like hell

How is it they haven't been worried by Trump? He increased public debt by $7 trillion (and it doesn't include the last $900 billion bill voted last year). Twice the increase during Obama's second mandate.

Edited March 4, 2021 by candide

[Tug]

Senator Joe Manchin got his reading and because he called for it he had to sit through all 11 hours of it lol dummy lol

[Tug]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Senator Joe Manchin got his reading and because he called for it he had to sit through all 11 hours of it lol dummy lol

Sorry senator Ron Johnson was the (insert your favorite word here) was the guy that wanted the bill read out he sat through it lol 

Edited March 6, 2021 by Tug

[bendejo]

56 minutes ago, Tug said:

Sorry senator Ron Johnson was the (insert your favorite word here) was the guy that wanted the bill read out he sat through it lol 

A practice known as "having to eat your own dog food." 

Wait, it gets better!

A day after forcing marathon bill reading, Johnson says 'preference' to leave Senate

 

He had an eleven hour meditation session to explore what his life has come to, and he obviously did not like what he found. 

See ya Ron, but no worries, Walmart is always ready to hire a 65 year old greeter for minimum wage.  And the taste of kissing T___p's whatever will be forever on your lips.  And in your epitaph.

 

 

[LomSak27]

On 3/4/2021 at 3:10 PM, vandeventer said:

Keep cutting  the Pork,Pork, Pork!!! Way too much Pork. Your kids have to pay this money back.

 

The Deficit. It's been a long four years hasn't it. Time to magically morph into a deficit hawk, get those tears flowing, teeth gnashing,  and pretend you care about deficits. WooHoo!

[Sujo]

On 3/4/2021 at 5:20 PM, SunnyinBangrak said:

CNN stopped the death-a-thon covid corpse counter as soon as their man was in office - no point in alarmism any more is there? - but sorry to break it to you, people are dying of covid under the Biden administration. Any deaths now are on Bidens watch, and the pork bill looks to be mainly for unrelated stuff like bailing out blue states and other garbage which aint gonna help covid19 victims much 

Cnn didnt stop the count. Its been on it every day.

 

Your hero trump agrees with the bill.