Covid-19 Relief Bill - What you need to know

[Metaphor]

Lawmakers appeared poised to work late into Monday night to approve the legislation, which would not only send another round of relief but also keep the government running through Sept. 30.

“We are going to stay until we finish tonight,” McConnell told NBC News.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Congress is expected to vote on the second largest bill in US history *today* - $2.5 trillion - and as of about 1pm, members don’t even have the legislative text of it yet." / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It’s not good enough to hear about what’s in the bill. Members of Congress need to see & read the bills we are expected to vote on.

Is AOC implying she's going to read all 5,600 pages before she votes?

 

[lpetrich]

Is AOC implying she's going to read all 5,600 pages before she votes?

She hasn't said anything further, but some months back, she Instagrammed on how she and her staff try to read everything she has to vote on, looking for gross giveaways and other unsavory things. So she may try to read at least some of it.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[ZiprHead]

'This Is Atrocious': Congress Crams Language to Criminalize Online Streaming, Meme-Sharing Into 5,500-Page Omnibus Bill

Lawmakers in Congress are under fire from digital rights campaigners for embedding three controversial changes to online copyright and trademark laws into the must-pass $2.3 trillion legislative package—which includes a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill and a $900 billion Covid-19 relief bill—that could receive floor votes in the House and Senate as early as Monday evening.

The punitive provisions crammed into the enormous bill (pdf), warned Evan Greer of the digital rights group Fight for the Future, "threaten ordinary Internet users with up to $30,000 in fines for engaging in everyday activity such as downloading an image and re-uploading it... [or] sharing memes."

While the citizenry had almost no time to process the actual contents of the 5,593 page legislative text, Greer said Monday afternoon that the CASE Act, Felony Streaming Act, and Trademark Modernization Act "are in fact included in the must-pass omnibus spending bill."

As Mike Masnick explained in a piece at TechDirt on Monday:

The CASE Act will supercharge copyright trolling exactly at a time when we need to fix the law to have less trolling. And the felony streaming bill (which was only just revealed last week with no debate or discussion) includes provisions that are so confusing and vague no one is sure if it makes sites like Twitch into felons.

"The fact that these are getting added to the must-pass government funding bill is just bad government," Masnick added. "And congressional leadership should hear about this."

 

[Trausti]

It’s a new experience, but I agree with crazy eyes Cortez. This bill is garbage grift. Trump should veto.

Well, she voted yea. The twit.

 

[ZiprHead]

It’s a new experience, but I agree with crazy eyes Cortez. This bill is garbage grift. Trump should veto.

Well, she voted yea. The twit.

The best way to get your pet agenda through is to attach it to a bill that can't be voted against.

 

[lpetrich]

Massive relief bill leaves some industries happy, others disappointed | TheHill - "Travel and entertainment companies secured sought-after provisions, but public sector unions and independent restaurants were largely left out of the $900 billion bill."

Congress passes $2.3T coronavirus relief, government funding deal | TheHill

The Senate voted 92-6 on the $2.3 trillion package, which includes $1.4 trillion to fund the government and $900 billion in coronavirus relief, the first time Congress has passed additional aid since April.

The bill, which passed the House earlier Monday, now goes to President Trump’s desk, where he has until Dec. 28 to sign it.

Why the House split the coronavirus and omnibus package into two votes, and what it may mean for next Congress | Fox News

• Overall funding: 327-85 (41 D's, 43 R's, 1 I)
• COVID-19 relief: 359-53 (50 R's, 2 D's, 1 I)

I'm guessing that Justin Amash, the only Independent, voted against both.

The only D's to vote against C19 relief were Tulsi Gabbard D-HI and Rashida Tlaib D-MI. They also voted against the overall-funding bill, joining AOC D-NY, Ilhan Omar D-MN, Ayanna Pressley, D-MA, Pramila Jayapal D-WA, Cindy Axne D-IA, Kendra Horn D-OK, Ro Khanna D-CA, Barbara Lee D-CA, Carolyn Maloney D-NY, and Hakeem Jeffries D-NY.

"More Republicans than Democrats did vote against both funding packages, signaling the GOP was not exactly united on this legislation either. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., voted for both."

 

[lpetrich]

More from that Fox News article:

"5,600 pages, my staff literally just got it. Lobbyists have already seen it. And I've got six hours to decide how to vote. And I don't think a bloated spending bill of $2.4 trillion that happens to have a few good provisions in it for small businesses, is what's gonna be good for the health of our country," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who voted against both packages, said on FOX Business. "It is absurd how this works. There's so much crap buried in this bill."

Roy added in a statement Tuesday: "I voted 'no' on both spending measures because I will neither endorse a corrupt legislative process nor agree to pass legislation that actively harms our nation, as this bill will assuredly do. It will rack up debt, fund the very local governments locking down schools and businesses, extend federal subsidies to pay people more not to work than to work, fall short on desperately needed small business relief, and continue funding policies... that undermine our American way of life."

 

[Playball40]

Is the $75K cutoff based on household or individual income? My wife and mom might get a check, but not me. If it's household, then only mom is likely to get one.

If you file married jointly the cutoff to begin reduction is $150,000 and it phases out completely at a joint income of $174,000. It will also add $600 per dependent UNDER the age of 17 but not adult dependents.

 

[Trausti]

 

[Loren Pechtel]

'This Is Atrocious': Congress Crams Language to Criminalize Online Streaming, Meme-Sharing Into 5,500-Page Omnibus Bill

Lawmakers in Congress are under fire from digital rights campaigners for embedding three controversial changes to online copyright and trademark laws into the must-pass $2.3 trillion legislative package—which includes a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill and a $900 billion Covid-19 relief bill—that could receive floor votes in the House and Senate as early as Monday evening.

The punitive provisions crammed into the enormous bill (pdf), warned Evan Greer of the digital rights group Fight for the Future, "threaten ordinary Internet users with up to $30,000 in fines for engaging in everyday activity such as downloading an image and re-uploading it... [or] sharing memes."

While the citizenry had almost no time to process the actual contents of the 5,593 page legislative text, Greer said Monday afternoon that the CASE Act, Felony Streaming Act, and Trademark Modernization Act "are in fact included in the must-pass omnibus spending bill."

As Mike Masnick explained in a piece at TechDirt on Monday:

The CASE Act will supercharge copyright trolling exactly at a time when we need to fix the law to have less trolling. And the felony streaming bill (which was only just revealed last week with no debate or discussion) includes provisions that are so confusing and vague no one is sure if it makes sites like Twitch into felons.

"The fact that these are getting added to the must-pass government funding bill is just bad government," Masnick added. "And congressional leadership should hear about this."

Yup. This is enough to make it a mega-turd.

 

[Gospel]

Holy crap. I think trump is doing something I agree with. Not signing the package.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Holy crap. I think trump is doing something I agree with. Not signing the package.

I think he's doing it to be mean to Biden. Up the debt Joe will inherit.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

He's doing it because he can. He is an asshole and if he can asshole, he will asshole.

"I'm asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2000 or $4000 per couple," Trump said in a video released on Twitter. "I'm also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items in this legislation or to send me a suitable bill."

link

Hey, Trump had one single specific demand, $2000 per person! Oh by the way, get rid of all of that unspecified wasteful and unnecessary items.

Also... he hasn't signed the bill, which includes the budget... aren't we shutdown now?

 

[Trausti]

He's doing it because he can. He is an asshole and if he can asshole, he will asshole.

"I'm asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2000 or $4000 per couple," Trump said in a video released on Twitter. "I'm also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items in this legislation or to send me a suitable bill."

link

Hey, Trump had one single specific demand, $2000 per person! Oh by the way, get rid of all of that unspecified wasteful and unnecessary items.

Also... he hasn't signed the bill, which includes the budget... aren't we shutdown now?

He's just keeping his word.

But I say to Congress: I will never sign another bill like this again. I’m not going to do it again. Nobody read it. It’s only hours old. Some people don’t even know what is in — $1.3 trillion — it’s the second largest ever. President Obama signed one that was actually larger, which I’m sure he wasn’t too happy with either.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-signing-h-r-1625/

 

[Jarhyn]

He's doing it because he can. He is an asshole and if he can asshole, he will asshole.

"I'm asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2000 or $4000 per couple," Trump said in a video released on Twitter. "I'm also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items in this legislation or to send me a suitable bill."

link

Hey, Trump had one single specific demand, $2000 per person! Oh by the way, get rid of all of that unspecified wasteful and unnecessary items.

Also... he hasn't signed the bill, which includes the budget... aren't we shutdown now?

I'm actually in a fair bit of shock. This isn't something I hate.

The fact is that there were a log of riders just shoved in there. I wouldn't call it "wasteful", but as has been pointed out, there WAS a disgusting amount of corporate giveaways.

I understand that some aspects of this legislation being vetoed are really bad, and probably factor more into why he is doing it (to weaken the country and shut down the government!) But a broken clock is right twice a day, regardless.

 

[lpetrich]

Republicans, Democrats Who Voted Against Stimulus Bill Explain Why

Posting a statement about her decision, Rep. Tlaib said the bill was "woefully inadequate" in providing direct assistance to Americans. She added: "We will be back here in a month because the suffering will have gotten much worse because there has been a lack of bold action and priorities to put people first."

Gabbard was similarly unhappy about the $600 checks to be provided to Americans, as well as various tax deductions and handouts to corporations. "$600 is a slap in the face to every American struggling due to the pandemic. You deserve better," she tweeted. "I voted against the 5,593-page spending bill that gave billions to corporate interests, the military industrial complex & other countries, leaving crumbs for you who need help most."

AOC, Mike Lee, Morgan Griffith, Ken Buck, and Chip Roy objected to this method of legislating. They are far from alone.

In a statement explaining why he had opposed the bill, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) also took issue with the timing. "No member can honestly say they know exactly what they voted for this evening," he said. "That is reason alone to vote no."

His GOP colleague Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who voted no, also raised questions about the time Congress had to check the plans.

n a rare show of consensus, Sen. Cruz tweeted that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was right to complain about the last-minute dash to vote on a complex relief bill. "It's ABSURD to have a $2.5 trillion spending bill negotiated in secret and then—hours later—demand an up-or-down vote on a bill nobody has had time to read," he tweeted.

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah (R) said it was "unacceptable" to ask lawmakers to vote on a 5,000-page long bill in the space of a few hours, because there was no chance they could perform their role properly before voting.

"Legislation like this needs to be voted on, it needs to be understood at the time it's voted on," he said in a video statement as the bill printed in the background. "Members need to have the chance to not only read it and understand it, but vet it with their constituents and offer up improvements."

 

[lpetrich]

Trump calls on Congress to approve $2,000 stimulus checks, hinting that he might not sign economic relief bill into law without changes - The Washington Post - "The president has still not signed the measure even though it passed Monday night. He called the measure “a disgrace.”"

In a video posted to Twitter, Trump called on Congress to increase the “ridiculously low” $600 stimulus checks to $2,000, and outlined a list of provisions in the final legislation that he described as “wasteful spending and much more.” He did not mention that the $600 stimulus check idea came from his own Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin.

“I am also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a covid relief package, and maybe that administration will be me,” Trump said.

At least Trump is doing the right thing.

Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "Me and @AOC have the amendment ready. Send the bill back, and we will put in the $2,000 we’ve been fighting for that your party has been blocking. https://t.co/GGXtJt77D9" / Twitter

AMENDMENT TO RULES COMMITTEE PRINT 16-68
OFFERED BY MS. TLAIB OF MICHIGAN

In section 6428A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as proposed to be inserted by section 272 of subtitle B of title II of division N of the matter proposed to be inserted by the Rules Committee Print-

(1) in subsection (a)(1), strike "$600 ($1,200 in the case of eligible individuals filing joint return) and insert "$2,000 ($4,000 in the case of eligible individuals filing a joint return)", and

(2) in subsection (g), strike "$600" each place it appears and insert "$2,000", and strike "$1,200" and insert "$4,000".

 

[lpetrich]

Trump demands bigger stimulus checks in Covid relief bill - CNBC

CNBC Now on Twitter: "BREAKING: Trump calls Covid relief bill unsuitable and demands Congress add higher stimulus payments. “Or else the next administration will have to deliver a Covid relief package...” https://t.co/cKIsY99GdD" / Twitter

CNBC Now on Twitter: "UPDATE: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she agrees with Trump’s call for $2,000 payments. “Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it!” she tweeted. https://t.co/cKIsY99GdD" / Twitter

CNBC Now on Twitter: "BREAKING: House Democrats will seek to pass a measure for $2,000 direct payments by unanimous consent on Thursday, Christmas Eve - @NBCNews https://t.co/cKIsY99GdD" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Let’s do it. ..." / Twitter

Let’s do it. @RashidaTlaib and I already co-wrote the COVID amendment for $2,000 checks, so it’s ready to go.

Glad to see the President is willing to support our legislation.

We can pass $2k checks this week if the Senate GOP agrees to stand down.

For people asking about the insane & corrupt tax giveaways in the deal (ex. the “3 martini lunch” trash )
much of that gross stuff is actually the omnibus.

It’s a little confusing, but basically there’s 3 major components to the COVID deal:
1. Rule
2. Omnibus
3. COVID relief

For context, it actually took 3 votes to pass this COVID bill.

1st vote: The Rule (process vote)

The rule vote cleared the way for the bill to be brought to a vote so soon after text dropped.

It passed, which is one reason why the vote happened so fast. (I & others voted NO)

2nd vote is the Omnibus.

What’s that? Basically the “deal” is centered on tying COVID relief to funding the gov(aka Omnibus).

They were tied together so pols who were against COVID relief (checks, SNAP, UI, etc) could trade for their horse write-offs etc in the Omni. Gross, no?

It’s gross but also true!

The dilemma many were dealing w/ was: bc these things were tied together, it made clean COVID relief impossible. You can largely thank Mitch for that. I’m not saying this is all 1 party but fr he’s awful.

Anyways the Omnibus has most of the gross stuff

The omnibus is actually a collection of legislation that funds each federal agency (Homeland Security $ + Enviro $ + NASA $, etc).

There are many agencies, so the 2nd vote was the omni w/ DHS, DoD, Fin Services & a lot of the “pork” leg people are objecting to (I also voted NO)

The THIRD vote had the actual COVID relief: the too-little $600 checks, $300 in UI, SNAP,etc.

There were also some omnis tacked on, but less controversial. (I initially voted PRESENT on this bc this process is so F’d up, but then YES bc my families are so hungry. Wanted to )

Anyways, that’s a very loose breakdown (at least process-wise) of how it went down.

Process is important because it’s how pols get overwhelmingly corrupt and unpopular things into legislation. They can’t campaign on it, so many use process & obscure deals to sneak things in.

Seems like a horrible process.