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U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
With former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial behind them, Democrats are set to adopt yet another coronavirus relief package in the weeks.
The Senate acquitted Trump on Saturday of inciting an insurgency against the government after five days of litigation. Houses of Congress held by Democrats and President Joe Biden will now be fully dedicated to promoting a $ 1.9 trillion aid bill before major unemployment programs expire on March 14.
On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Told lawmakers to prepare to work through February 26 and the following weekend to pass the relief bill. House Democratic caucus chairman Hakeem Jeffries will be holding calls this week with members of the committees tasked with developing the bill, NBC News reported.
House panels have advanced significant parts of the bill, which the budget committee is expected to combine into one massive proposal in the coming days. Congress must go through a longer-than-usual process to approve the plan as part of budget reconciliation, a tool that will allow Democrats to pass it without a Republican vote in the Senate.
Potential pitfalls await Democrats as they attempt to pass a bill that party leaders say will speed up the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine and ease economic hardship related to public health restrictions. They must adhere to rules that limit what lawmakers can include in budget reconciliation plans.
If the party does not get any support from Republicans skeptical of more spending, all Senate Democrats will have to rally for the bill to pass. At least two Democratic senators – Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona – have expressed skepticism about parts of the plan.
Biden, who will travel to Wisconsin on Tuesday for a CNN mayoral event, considers pandemic relief his “top priority,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
The House’s proposed aid package would send payments of up to $ 1,400 to most Americans, set up an unemployment benefit supplement of $ 400 per week, and an extension of existing unemployment insurance up to to August 29 and would send $ 350 billion to struggling states, locals and tribals. Governments. It would also allocate $ 20 billion for a national immunization program and send $ 170 billion to schools and colleges for reopening costs and student aid, among other provisions.
Republicans have criticized the plan’s nearly $ 2 trillion price tag and questioned the cost of funding schools and direct payments, in particular. A group of GOP senators offered Biden a counter-proposal of around $ 600 billion, but he called it too small to deal with the crisis.
The president has said he would rather pass a bigger bill now than get bogged down in weeks or months of talks, only to accept a smaller proposal.
One particular element of the House’s plan could make the process difficult for Democrats. The bill includes a proposal to gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour by 2025.
It is not yet known whether the parliamentarian of the Senate will authorize the measure as part of the reconciliation. Manchin and Sinema have both criticized the minimum wage hike and could sink it even if Senate rules allow it in final legislation.
If the Senate passes a different bill than the House, the representatives will have to meet again to approve the bill again.
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