House vote unlocks partisan path for Biden coronavirus relief bill
Source: Washington Post
House Democrats voted Wednesday to set the stage for party-line approval of President Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, heeding the presidents calls for swift action on his first big agenda item -- but without the bipartisan unity he promised. The 218 to 212 nearly party-line House vote Wednesday evening approved a budget bill that would unlock special rules in the Senate allowing Bidens relief package to pass with a simple majority, instead of the 60 votes usually needed.
The Senate is expected to take action on the same legislation later in the week With the budget resolutions in place, Democrats would be able to get to work in earnest on writing Bidens $1.9 trillion proposed relief bill into law -- and ultimately pass it without any Republican votes if necessary, though they continued to insist that is not their preference. Biden himself said Wednesday that I think well get some Republicans. Biden made the remark as he met in the Oval Office with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and the Senate committee chairs who will be responsible for writing the actual relief legislation.
Biden has courted Senate Republicans, and repeatedly expressed the desire to get their support. But he and his advisers have made increasingly clear that any such agreement must be on Bidens terms, and that he will not compromise on the price tag or major components of his relief legislation, which comes at a moment of economic need for the nation and with Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. Earlier Wednesday Biden told House Democrats on a conference call: We need to act ... We need to act fast, according to two people on the call who spoke on condition of anonymity to relay his comments. Its about who the hell we are as a country, Biden said on the call.
Bidens approach is informed by his experience as vice president during the Obama administration, including helping to negotiate a $787 billion rescue package for the financial crisis that many economists later concluded should have been bigger. White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said repeatedly that Biden is more concerned about his relief bill being too small than being too big. But most Republicans are opposed to spending nearly another $2 trillion after devoting some $4 trillion to fighting the pandemic through a series of five bipartisan bills last year, including a $900 billion measure passed in December.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/02/03/house-coronavirus-relief-budget-bill/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=twitter
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Delmette2.0
(4,165 posts)Dems can truthfully remind them what we did with $2 billion.
I wonder how they will account for their $4 billion.
kimbutgar
(21,155 posts)Voters need to be reminded which party gave them help. And which party voted no.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,010 posts)Akacia
(583 posts)Nitram
(22,803 posts)James48
(4,436 posts)And throw in the $15 minimum wage. Its ok to spread the wage increase out over a couple years- but get it started and on the books now.