Why the debate on the relief bill will be shorter than the GOP hoped

FreeinChrist · Mar 6, 2021

hislegacy said:
There is $1.5 billion in this bill for AMTRAK

$86 billion included specifically to bailout blue state and city pensions

There is $200 million for museums and libraries —

$270 million for the NEA, the National Endowment for the Arts.

There is $128 billion for K-12 public education — except 95% of this money will not be spent until between 2022 and 2028, not in 2021.

There may be $600 billion in this bill that can reasonably be tied to COVID relief including funding for more vaccines ($75B), PPP ($473B), aid to ailing restaurants ($26B), assistance to airlines ($15B) and $7.2B for PPP for small businesses that have been wrecked by gubernatorial executive shut down orders for the past year.

Had the bill stopped there, President Joe Biden might have had his first truly bipartisan victory for “unity,” with a majority of Republicans voting for it in the House and the Senate.

The remainder of the $1.3 trillion is pure partisan politics. Democrats are paying off the constituencies that elect them and who helped defeat President Trump. There is no other way to look at it.

1.3 trillion of 1.9 trillion has nothing to do with Covid related issues.

Additionally,

$480 million for Native American language preservation and maintenance;

$50 million in environmental justice grants.

Then there are the funds for gender studies in Pakistan.

It was the December covid relief bill that had money for gender studies in Pakistan. Lindsey Graham wanted it.

As to this bill, the Restaurant Rescue plan had bipartisan support. That is also Covid relief as many restaurants have been devastated by the virus. The Senate vote to add that was 90 yes, 10 now. This was back in February, and they sent that to the House in a Covid Bill. The House changed up things and the bill is back in the Senate.

I need to double check your other statements.

FreeinChrist · Mar 6, 2021

durangodawood said:
What I typically do when a ultra biased presenter lays down "the facts" is to pick one and try to chase it down. I'm having a hard time backing this^ one up factually. No point in trying to determine the reasoning behind it unless we know its even real.

It is spread out to make sure the money goes to what it is intended for.
For instance, after this last year, tutoring is going to be needed and it won't be needed just in the rest of 2021. It is going to take years to make up for the loss in education for many students. There is a need for technology to aid in this. There is a shortage of computer chips.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/10/whats-causing-the-chip-shortage-affecting-ps5-cars-and-more.html

That is going to affect not just cars but also laptops and school technology. Biden is acting on that too:
Biden rushes to address global computer chip shortage via latest executive order

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Wednesday aimed at addressing a global semiconductor chip shortage that has forced U.S. automakers and other manufacturers to cut production and alarmed the White House and members of Congress, administration officials said.

The scarcity, exacerbated by the pandemic, will be the subject when Biden meets a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

mama2one · Mar 6, 2021

debate over

Senate passes Biden's $1.9 trillion relief package including $1,400 stimulus checks

goes back to house due to changes
personally hoping it would take longer
(to deadline mid March)

chevyontheriver · Mar 6, 2021

hislegacy said:
There is $128 billion for K-12 public education — except 95% of this money will not be spent until between 2022 and 2028, not in 2021.

Had it been for ventilation system improvements in 2021 this would have been totally uncontroversial.

There may be $600 billion in this bill that can reasonably be tied to COVID relief including funding for more vaccines ($75B), PPP ($473B), aid to ailing restaurants ($26B), assistance to airlines ($15B) and $7.2B for PPP for small businesses that have been wrecked by gubernatorial executive shut down orders for the past year.

Which, as I understand it is TOTALLY non-controversial.

Had the bill stopped there, President Joe Biden might have had his first truly bipartisan victory for “unity,” with a majority of Republicans voting for it in the House and the Senate.

Agreed. It would have passed by 3-1 at least, if not a voice vote. AND passed the Senate without the precious vote of the VP.

But they don't want bipartisanship. They want to maximize the pork. And they'll get it too. It's just that they got a little caught in the pork grease. But the voters will forget. So it will be OK.

mark46 · Mar 6, 2021

The House will likely pass the Senate bill and send it to the president.

mama2one said:
debate over

Senate passes Biden's $1.9 trillion relief package including $1,400 stimulus checks

goes back to house due to changes
personally hoping it would take longer
(to deadline mid March)

Ringo84 · Mar 6, 2021

The people whining about """pork""" are mad that the Democrats are getting a bill done. That's it.
Ringo

hislegacy · Mar 6, 2021

Ringo84 said:
The people whining about """pork""" are mad that the Democrats are getting a bill done. That's it.
Ringo

Disagree.
What I am hearing from the opposition to the bill is:

It is not bipartisan, which every other one was.

It is 300% higher than what is needed for Covid relief

Then there is the observation that had the Democrats not had the House and Senate, this would go nowhere’

mama2one · Mar 6, 2021

hislegacy said:
It is 300% higher than what is needed for Covid relief

everyone who complains, return your stimulus check!
and return the first two, also

hislegacy · Mar 6, 2021

mama2one said:
everyone who complains, return your stimulus check!
and return the first two, also

As long as all the other recipients return theirs, that includes the pork that is 300% more than covid relief - I'm good with it - you?

mama2one · Mar 6, 2021

hislegacy said:
As long as all the other recipients return theirs, that includes the pork that is 300% more than covid relief - I'm good with it - you?

husband has said more than once we don't need it
but our child does & went into college fund

we didn't spend a dime

do believe limits should have been lowered more!
we'd still receive stimulus if lowered more as husband worked w/o pay some in 2020

mark46 · Mar 6, 2021

Ringo84 said:
The people whining about """pork""" are mad that the Democrats are getting a bill done. That's it.
Ringo

I am a Democrat. I strongly support the elements of the new law, although I'm sure I can find things I disagree with.

HOWEVER, make no mistake, most of this law is NOT about COVID relief. That's fine with me.

I disagree with using the word "pork" to describe aid to cities or to AMTRAK or to a lot of other elements of law.

Republicans have vowed (as they did in 2009) to delay and oppose every Democratic bill. That's fine. Trump gave Biden the great gift of 2 senators from GA.

Semper-Fi · Mar 6, 2021

Senator Ted Cruz
6h ·

Democrats just voted against my amendment that would have
prevented American taxpayer dollars from being handed out
to illegal aliens in the form of $1,400 stimulus checks.

Hank77 · Mar 6, 2021

FreeinChrist said:
The Republicans planned to use the 20 hours to simply delay by having every amendment read by the clerk and other things like that. Not really debate the bill. That was Sen. Johnson's plan.

A filibuster by another name.

They can't say they didn't know what was in the bill.

Hank77 · Mar 6, 2021

FreeinChrist said:
It is spread out to make sure the money goes to what it is intended for.
For instance, after this last year, tutoring is going to be needed and it won't be needed just in the rest of 2021. It is going to take years to make up for the loss in education for many students. There is a need for technology to aid in this. There is a shortage of computer chips.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/10/whats-causing-the-chip-shortage-affecting-ps5-cars-and-more.html

That is going to affect not just cars but also laptops and school technology. Biden is acting on that too:
Biden rushes to address global computer chip shortage via latest executive order

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Wednesday aimed at addressing a global semiconductor chip shortage that has forced U.S. automakers and other manufacturers to cut production and alarmed the White House and members of Congress, administration officials said.

The scarcity, exacerbated by the pandemic, will be the subject when Biden meets a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

This may interest you. This article includes info. on each state's share of the funds.

The package includes $350 billion in aid designed to replenish tax revenue collections that decreased during the pandemic so states and local governments can pay employees and take care of core services.

California, Texas, and New York would receive 29% of the $350 billion in direct aid that President Joe Biden has proposed for states and cities in his COVID-19 relief bill, according to a USA TODAY analysis of the projected allocations.

That's slightly more than the three states' share of the U.S. population – 27%

The minor discrepancy is the result of a formula used in Biden’s American Rescue Plan that largely relies on the number of unemployed citizens in each state at the end of 2020, not overall population, to determine the funding amount for each state.

How much money each state would receive if Biden stimulus bill passes

Erik Nelson · Mar 12, 2021

"Reconciliation" of House & Senate bills allowed in a provision, without any additional debate or floor votes, which gives Congress authority over State taxation for the next four years:

Terrifying Last Minute Change to Stimulus Bill

Hank77 · Mar 12, 2021

Erik Nelson said:
"Reconciliation" of House & Senate bills allowed in a provision, without any additional debate or floor votes, which gives Congress authority over State taxation for the next four years:

Terrifying Last Minute Change to Stimulus Bill

I'm confused. First, they say the states must accept the funding but then they say if the state accepts the funding.

However, if a state accepts these funds, which they are going to have to do whether they like this legislation or not because of the economic relief that are provided to its citizens, they cannot lower taxes during the time period prescribed in this bill. That’s not six months, by the way. That is through 2024.  

When this is signed into law, people need to understand that their states are going to be barred from lowering taxes if they accept any of these funds. They will have to challenge that in court.  

Why the debate on the relief bill will be shorter than the GOP hoped

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