Republican Senator Josh Hawley says he'll force vote tomorrow on stimulus checks plan he is pushing with Bernie Sanders as Congress inches towards finalizing bailout plan
Republican Senator Josh Hawley will force a floor vote on Friday for a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks for Americans in the midst of the prevailing coronavirus pandemic.
'Tomorrow I will go to the Senate floor to ask for an up or down vote on my bill to provide a direct payment of $1200 to working Americans, $2400 for couples, $500 for kids,' Hawley tweeted Thursday. 'This is the #covid relief working families need.'
Under the Senate rules any senator can ask for a vote but any other senator can object.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders is also pushing for distributing more stimulus checks like was done back in March.
The unlikely duo have been lobbying to get the stimulus checks included in the next coronavirus relief package as congressional leadership strives to reach a deal by midnight on Friday – when government funding runs dry.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley said Thursday that he will force a vote on another round of $1,200 direct checks for Americans from the Senate floor on Friday
The Missouri lawmaker said in a tweet Thursday that these direct checks are the 'coroanvirus relief working families need'
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is also pushing for the measure – claiming in a heated exchange with Senator Joe Manchin Thursday that $600 checks are a 'good start'
Multiple aides revealed that tensions flared during an internal conference call on Wednesday as lawmakers tried to iron out a bipartisan agreement for the next aid legislation.
Sanders reportedly got testy with West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin over the price tag on the stimulus checks.
Checks were initially left out of the $900 billion package before it was added this week as part of a compromise – and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told his caucus the checks could be beneficial for Republicans keeping a majority in the Senate.
Sanders argued for more robust direct payments, while Manchin advocated for a lower amount, instead preferring to emphasize unemployment benefits.
Hawley introduced legislation earlier this month that mirrored the language of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March. It would provide a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks.
In the $2.2 trillion March stimulus package, Americans making less than $90,000 were directly sent $1,200 checks to help cope with the financial burdens of the pandemic
The Missouri Republican teamed up with Sanders to try to get it passed by the end of the year as part of a sweeping government and coronavirus relief agreement.
The top four congressional leaders, McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy met for another day of talks to inch closer to a compromise on another sweeping COVID-19 aid package.
The four, along with other lawmakers, have vowed not to leave for holiday recess until they get a deal done.
In an indication that a deal is imminent but not yet in hand, McConnell warned senators on a call this week to prepare to remain in Washington D.C. through the weekend as they finalize the details of the bill.
Capitol Hill insiders indicate the bill will include another round of direct payments as well as additional boosted unemployment benefits, which were set to expire in the coming weeks.
The next round of checks, however, could fall short of the $1,200 payments the first time around.
South Dakota Senator John Thune, the second-ranking Republican, told reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday that the payments were likely to be more in the ballpark of $600 to $700 per person.
Senator Rand Paul, one of the fiercest opponents of government spending, said Wednesday he 'will make a point to let people know that they're giving away money they don't have.'
The Kentucky senator, however, said he 'won't object to the time that it takes to do this.'
Democrats, and some Republicans, are pushing to replicate or exceed the previous check amounts.
'Right now we're going to do our best to get the $1,200, but this is a good start,' Sanders said Thursday.
It appears lawmakers will tie the coronavirus relief bill to the omnibus spending legislation.
Congressional leadership is inching closer to a compromise as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi facilitated another day of talks as they vowed not to break for Christmas recess until a deal is reached
A group of 14 Republican lawmakers, however, are urging Donald Trump to veto the $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill meant to avoid a government shutdown – even if that means putting off another coronavirus relief package.
The current plan is to attach a $900 billion COVID-19 aid bill currently being negotiated in Congress to the government funding legislation.
In the letter to the president, the lawmakers claim the bill is 'exemplifying everything that is wrong with the swamp politics of Washington, D.C.'
'Particularly at a time when our federal government is spending trillions of dollars on an emergency basis, we should be doing the hard work of finding offsetting savings elsewhere,' the group wrote.
By demanding Trump veto the omnibus bill, they could also be indirectly advocating for a veto to the most recent coronavirus relief – which could include funding for small businesses and schools, direct checks for Americans and an expansion and extension of boosted unemployment benefits.
'Instead of making any good faith effort to find savings, this omnibus bill spends every penny of the existing – but elevated multiple times over – budget caps that were enacted before the coronavirus epidemic,' the letter continued. 'Your veto will send a resounding message to both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to negotiate better budgets for the American people.'
A group of 14 Trump ultra-loyalist lawmakers, including House Freedom Caucus members Andy Biggs of Arizona (left) Chip Roy of Texas (right), sent a letter to the president on Wednesday urging him to veto the $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill being negotiated in Congress
The letter, signed by 14 Trump ultra-loyalists in Congress, also notes the president's 2018 remarks where he said he 'would never sign another bill like this again' when he signed another omnibus spending bill at the time.
The lawmakers, including Representatives Andy Biggs of Arizona, Chip Roy of Texas and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, say the government funding bill is a 'massive take-it-or-leave-it bill, negotiated behind closed doors.'
They also lament in the letter that it 'expands government, spends at record levels well above 2011 base cap levels, and funds unnecessary or even harmful federal programs.'
'Our country will be better off if you veto this omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2021,' they concluded.
The insistence for a veto not only threatens to force a government shutdown as funding runs dry on Friday, but also puts at risk striking down the latest coronavirus relief package, which congressional leaders are inching closer to each day.
The close to $1 trillion aid bill could even include another round of direct checks for Americans struggling in the midst of the pandemic, Mitch McConnell signalled to Republican colleagues on Wednesday.
The Senate majority leader suggested during a call Wednesday afternoon with his caucus that approving the measure in the latest stimulus bill could boost the GOP's chances of maintaining their majority in the Senate as Georgians prepare to vote in two runoff elections.
Republican Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are facing off against Democratic challengers on January 5 after both incumbents failed to earn the 50 per cent needed to avoid a runoff election.
If both seats are taken by Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, the Senate will be split 50-50, meaning Democratic Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would hold the tie breaking vote.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republicans should back another round of stimulus checks in the next coronavirus relief package because it could help them maintain control of the Senate
Republican Georgia Senators David Perdue (left) and Kelly Loeffler (right) are facing off with Democratic challengers in January 5 runoff elections. If they lose both seats, the Senate will be split 50-50 with a Democratic vice president tie-breaking vote
Should Republicans hold onto just one of the two seats, they will maintain their slim majority in the upper chamber – setting President-elect Joe Biden up for a series of legislative failures, at least in his first two years.
McConnell said lawmakers are 'getting hammered', two people familiar with the call told the The New York Times, for failing to deliver more aid to struggling Americans in the midst of the prevailing pandemic.
He particularly mentioned that Republicans are facing backlash for opposing another round of direct payments.
In the $2.2 trillion stimulus package passed in March, Americans making less than $90,000 were sent $1,200 checks to provide a boost to help them cope with financial burdens heightened by the pandemic.
It is also still unclear where negotiations stand on unemployment benefits, including their expansion and extension. Lawmakers were discussing reinstituting supplemental jobless payments, which over the summer provided $600 per week extra to those who lost their job.
The compromise package is expected to provide billions for vaccine distribution and support for schools and small businesses.
It will, however, likely omit temporary liability protections and funding for state and local governments, which have been two of the most contentious negotiation points for lawmakers.
At this point in the game, negotiations would really need to fall apart for a 'no deal' before breaking for Christmas.
McConnell vowed on Tuesday that Congress would not recess for the holiday until it passed a new aid package - a sentiment echoed by top Democrats in a sign that the two sides are nearing agreement.
'We are still talking to each other and there is agreement that we are not going to leave here without the omni and the COVID package,' McConnell said, using Capitol Hill's shorthand for a catchall, omnibus spending bill that would be paired together with the COVID relief measure and a variety of other end-of-session items.
The Kentucky Republican is playing a strong hand in the lame-duck session and is pressuring Democrats to drop a much-sought $160 billion aid package for states and local governments struggling to balance their budgets because of the pandemic.
McConnell has called the localities funding and a temporary liability shield his 'red line' in negotiations – while state and city funding is a top priority for Democrats. The deadlock has caused much of the bickering over the latest bill, which has been in the works all through the summer and fall.
The quartet, who met in Pelosi's conference room on Tuesday, said they would reconvene on Wednesday in hopes of sealing an agreement soon.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who helped facilitate negotiations in earlier coronavirus relief packages, joined the meeting by phone. Congress has not passed COVID-19 relief legislation since the spring.
Rank-and-file Democrats appear increasingly resigned to having to drop, for now, the party's demand for fiscal relief for states and local governments whose budgets have been thrown out of balance by the pandemic.
Pelosi, a Democrat from California, pressed in talks with Mnuchin on Monday for help for struggling states and localities.
But top Democratic allies of President-elect Joe Biden came out in support of a $748 billion plan offered by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and hinted they won't insist on a pitched battle for state and local aid now.
'We cannot afford to wait any longer to act. This should not be Congress' last COVID relief bill, but it is a strong compromise that deserves support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate,' said Senator Chris Coons, the Democrat from Delaware.
'We cannot leave for the holidays without getting relief to those Americans who need it.'
Lawmakers also worked to finalize a yearend catchall funding package that will be the basis for the last significant legislation of the Trump presidency.
There's a hoped-for deadline of midnight Friday to deliver the completed package to President Donald Trump, which is when a partial government shutdown would arrive with the expiration of last week's temporary funding bill.
But there's no guarantee that the massive yearend measure will be completed in time.
If the talks drag, further temporary bills could be needed.
Wow ! $1200 a year! That should be plenty to catch up on house payments, rebuild gutted businesses and get people's lives back in order !
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