Tag: Senate GOP

GOP under fire for slipping $30 billion Pentagon gift into coronavirus relief bill

AlterNet logoIn a floor speech late Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described the GOP’s newly released coronavirus stimulus package as a “carefully tailored” plan to provide financial relief to desperate Americans.

But a look at the legislative text (pdf) released by Senate Republicans shows the HEALS Act is replete with massive gifts to the Pentagon and defense contractors that would do nothing to aid the unemployed, provide nutrition assistance to hungry children, prevent an avalanche of evictions, or stop the spread of coronavirus.

“Last time I checked F-35s don’t help families pay their bills,” Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) tweeted in response to the GOP’s proposal of $686 million in spending on new fighter jets. Continue reading.

The Senate just pushed the country off a cliff — and then headed for the hills

AlterNet logoDespite the pandemic-induced recession, millions of jobless Americans have been kept afloat by an uncharacteristically generous act of Congress. In addition to their state’s usual unemployment payments — usually a fraction of their previous wages — Americans have been eligible to receive and additional $600 a week, desperately needed support for people who saw their incomes crater.

But Republicans have been outraged that the payments were so generous, so they objected to legislation the Democrats passed in May to extend the program. They proposed a number of different ideas to extend the program on a more limited basis, but all these ideas came at the last minute and the GOP caucus couldn’t agree on a single plan. So on Friday, the program officially expires — meaning unemployed Americans who had been receiving a boost of $2,400 a month from the government will suddenly see those payments slashed to zero.

And now, the Senate has gone home for a long weekend. Continue reading.

Trump blames Democrats for cutting jobless benefits — but it’s GOP demanding cuts

Senate Republicans want to cut extra weekly unemployment payments from $600 per week to $200 per week.

Donald Trump on Wednesday attacked Democrats for not making relief payments to Americans impacted by the coronavirus high enough — even though it’s Republicans who have proposed massive cuts to unemployment insurance payments.

Senate Republicans have refused to take up a relief bill Democrats in the House passed in May.

“The Democrats aren’t taking care of the people. The payments aren’t enough. The payments aren’t enough, you understand that?” Trump said Wednesday morning as he left the White House en route to Texas, where he’s scheduled to host a fundraiser and tour an oil rig. “They’re not making the payments, they’re not making them high enough. The Democrats are not taking care of the people.” Continue reading.

Unemployment benefits to expire as coronavirus talks deadlock

The Hill logoEnhanced unemployment benefits are set to expire as congressional negotiators are deadlocked over a coronavirus relief deal.

The additional $600 a week in unemployment insurance that Congress provided in late March will sunset on Friday at midnight, dealing a significant financial blow to millions of jobless Americans amid a weakening labor market.

Lawmakers had hoped the deadline, which was known for months, would result in the kind of eleventh-hour agreement that was once commonplace in Washington. But in a sign of how far apart negotiators are, the Senate left town for the week on Thursday, ensuring Congress will careen over the fast-approaching unemployment cliff. Continue reading.

Millions to lose $600 weekly jobless aid amid Senate stalemate

A late night meeting with negotiators yielded little progress.

With federal unemployment benefits expiring on Friday — a serious blow to millions of Americans who lost jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic — the Senate became bogged down in partisan fighting and left town without a resolution to the crisis.

And two more hours of high-level talks on Thursday night between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on one side and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on the other yielded almost no progress. The talks will continue through the weekend, but a deal seems far off at this point.

“We had a long discussion,” Schumer told reporters after the meeting ended late Thursday night. “And we just don’t think they understand the gravity of the problem. The bottom line is this is the most serious health problem and economic problem we’ve had in a century and 75 years, and it takes really good strong bold action, and they don’t quite get that.” Continue reading.

Senate adjourns without extending expiring unemployment benefits

Axios logoThe Senate has adjourned until 3pm on Monday, as Congress failed to reach an agreement on extending extra unemployment benefits that are set to expire on Friday.

Why it matters: Tens of millions of Americans are out of work and have been receiving $600 per week on top of their regular unemployment payments. That money has been used both to pay expenses and to prop up the broader economy via consumer spending.

The state of play: Congress and the Trump administration are still painfully deadlocked over the next stimulus bill, with at least 20 Senate Republicans pledging to vote “no” on another massive relief package no matter what. Continue reading.

Republicans dismiss Trump proposal to delay election

The Hill logoSenate Republicans, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close ally of the White House, are dismissing President Trump’s suggestion Thursday to delay the November elections because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I have concerns about mail-in ballots being the exclusive way to cast votes, but I don’t believe we should delay the elections. I want to reopen the economy in a sound way. I want people to go back to school safely,” Graham, who is up for reelection in November, told reporters Thursday morning.

“In South Carolina, we had a very large primary in June and were able to do it in person. I think we can be able to able to safely vote in person in November,” he said. Continue reading.

Liability shield fight threatens to blow up relief talks

The Hill logoA sharp disagreement over whether to provide coronavirus liability protections to businesses, schools and other organizations has quickly emerged as one of the biggest obstacles to getting a deal on COVID-19 relief legislation.

Both sides are digging in, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Democratic leaders — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) — calling the issue a looming dealbreaker.

Not only is the disagreement standing in the way of passing the first major coronavirus package since late March, it’s also pitting key Republican and Democratic constituencies against each other: the business community versus unions and trial lawyers. Continue reading.

GOP hunts for ‘Plan B’ as coronavirus talks hit wall

The Hill logoRepublicans are hunting for a backup plan on coronavirus relief as bipartisan negotiations tasked with finding a deal appear to be making no measurable progress.

The discussions come as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows have met every day this week with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer(D-N.Y.) but are, in their own words, “nowhere close to deal” and “very far apart.” 

With the clock ticking — the House was supposed to start a five-week break on Friday and the Senate on Aug. 7 — Senate Republicans and the White House are floating myriad alternative ideas as they try to figure out how to break the logjam. Continue reading.

GOP under mounting pressure to strike virus deal quickly

The Hill logoRepublican lawmakers faced with slipping poll numbers and economic indicators acknowledge they are under pressure to reach a quick deal with Democrats on a new coronavirus package.

Armed with more leverage, Democrats will likely not agree to any deal unless it is closer to the $3.4 trillion bill the House passed in May. Republican officials don’t see any advantages to drawing the battle out.

GOP senators say there are several significant factors that weigh in favor of reaching a deal soon. They include the expiration of the $600-a-week federal enhancement to state unemployment benefits, the expiration of the federal moratorium on evictions, the recent wave of new coronavirus infections in Sun Belt and Midwestern states, the fast-approaching start of the school year, and a wave of potential small-business closures predicted for the weeks ahead. Continue reading.