Brianna Keilar breaks down on live TV over coronavirus losses
Trump caused this country great pain and heartache by ignoring and lying about covid, how in the world can republicans back Trump again it is a disaster all day long. If you sell your soul to the devil, you will have to deal with that, it is sad that they believed every lie he told. Trump’s God is money that is all he is spiritually bankrupt, and ignorant republicans feel for it. So back Pense at least you know he is a man of God, not a liar.
The House voted early Saturday to pass President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package, a step to implementing his vision for bringing the pandemic under control just days after the U.S. crossed the tragic milestone of 500,000 deaths.
The Democratic-controlled House voted 219 to 212 to approve the bill, which includes $1,400 direct payments, a $400-a-week federal unemployment bonus, a per-child allowance of up to $3,600 for one year, and billions of dollars to distribute the coronavirus vaccines and to assist schools and local governments.
The vote split largely into partisan lines, with every Republican voting against the measure and just two Democrats joining them — Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where a provision to raise the minimum wage is likely to be removed. But the rest of the package is in good shape to pass as Democrats are using a process that doesn’t require Republican support.
If enacted, it would be the sixth round of aid from the federal government. The economy is still reeling from widespread shutdowns, and most Americans continue to wait for their turns to be vaccinated. Democratic leaders want the bill to become law by March 14, when jobless benefits expire.
“Tonight, Congress is taking action to crush the virus,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on the House floor, calling the legislation “transformative” at mitigating poverty. “We are putting money in workers’ pockets… As President Biden has said, help is on the way.”
The legislation faces broad opposition from congressional Republicans. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., decried it as a “liberal pipedream” and said Democrats were “jamming it through in the dead of night.”
“Don’t call it a rescue bill. Don’t call it a relief bill,” he said. “For the American people, it is a loser.”.
The $1,400 checks would be sent to individuals who make up to $75,000 a year or married couples making $150,000, and payments would gradually decrease for those who make more, zeroing out at $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for couples.
“Everything is not fixed. We have a long way to go. And that day, when everything gets back to normal, depends on all of us,” Biden said Thursday at an event to mark the 50 millionth coronavirus vaccination shot. “It depends on Congress passing the American Recovery Act.”
Progressives Angry About Minimum Wage
The House bill also includes a federal minimum wage hike from $7.25 to $15 per hour, phased in over four years. The provision, a top progressive priority, is all but doomed in the Senate after a ruling Thursday evening by the in-house referee that it violates the chamber’s rules for legislation that can pass with a simple majority.
Biden had included the wage hike in his proposal. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in response to the ruling that the president is “disappointed” but “respects the parliamentarian’s decision and the Senate’s process.”
Psaki said he would “determine the best path forward” on a minimum wage increase, but called on legislators to “move quickly to pass” the rest of the Covid-19 relief package in the meantime.