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Covid-19 Relief Bill - What you need to know

 
 
 
Welfare-program opponents are attacking it, as one might expect.
But a child allowance differs from traditional aid in ways that appeal to some on the right. Libertarians like that it frees parents to use the money as they choose, unlike targeted aid such as food stamps. Proponents of higher birthrates say a child allowance could help arrest a decline in fertility. Social conservatives note that it benefits stay-at-home parents, who are bypassed by work-oriented programs like child care.

And supporters argue that it has fewer work disincentives than traditional aid, which quickly falls as earnings climb. Under the Democrats’ plan, full benefits extend to single parents with incomes of $112,500 and couples with $150,000.
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That is good politically, because it helps create a broader constituency. Consider Social Security and Medicare. We all laughed at "Keep your government hands off my Medicare!", I'm sure, but that some people are willing to believe such things is proof of the success at these programs' success in creating a constituency for them.
A quarter-century ago, debate focused on an urban underclass whose problems seemed to set them apart from a generally prospering society. They were disproportionately Black and Latino and mostly represented by Democrats. Now, insecurity has traveled up the economic ladder to a broader working class with similar problems, like underemployment, marital dissolution and drugs. Often white and rural, many are voters whom Republicans hope to court.
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So when honkies started to suffer from such problems, the politicians started becoming more considerate.
“Republicans can’t count on running a backlash campaign,” Mr. Hammond said. “They crossed the Rubicon in terms of cash payments. People love the stimulus checks.”

The muted opposition to the proposal, he said, showed that “people on the right are curious about the child benefit — not committed, but movable.”
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When they think that they are the ones getting it, they are not as opposed.
 
Kyrsten Sinema and the Thumbs-Down That Enraged the Left - The New York Times - "The Arizona Democrat, one of a handful of moderate senators who hold heavy sway over President Biden’s agenda, has come under mounting pressure for her opposition to liberal priorities."
It is the culmination of a full-scale political transformation by Ms. Sinema, a former social worker and lawyer. The woman now known as a committed centrist ran for the Arizona Legislature nearly two decades ago as a Green Party activist; protested the Iraq war with Code Pink, the left-wing social justice movement; and once warned of the dangers of capitalism and the “almighty dollar.”

Her allies argue that the shift sprang from Ms. Sinema’s desire to play a productive role as a legislator.

“She realized that she could get stuff done working the middle and it had more impact,” said Robert Meza, a Democratic member of Arizona’s statehouse who served with Ms. Sinema during her tenure there from 2004 to 2010. “The left-wing groups, the business community — they started listening more to her. She realized, ‘Hey, I actually have more power in the middle.’”

...
She is known as a maverick in the staid and stodgy Senate, where her colorful wigs and quirky fashion sense — she turned up on one recent day wearing a hot-pink shirt emblazoned with the phrase “DANGEROUS CREATURE” — belie a preference for keeping her opinions to herself and operating behind the scenes.
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Including not saying how she is going to vote.
She’s developed a lot of conversational relationships with a lot of people on the other side,” said Senator James Lankford, Republican of Oklahoma. “That’s helpful just to be able to get into a dialogue when things get hard.”

It is a battle-tested approach in Arizona, where Ms. Sinema defeated Martha McSally, a Republican, in 2018 in large part by showcasing her centrist credentials and emphasizing her across-the-aisle outreach to woo moderate voters. Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat, defeated Ms. McSally again in November, hewing closely to the playbook Ms. Sinema helped write.

...
Ms. Sinema’s political evolution began a year into her time in the State Legislature, and by the time she was in Congress and running for the Senate, she had established herself as a pragmatist and bipartisan operator. She cited Senator John McCain as a political idol, and wrote a book — part how-to and part political memoir — that included tips like “no one likes a humorless and rigid activist.”

“The bomb thrower doesn’t get to make friends much (understandably so), and she certainly doesn’t get to work with all the people she’s throwing bombs toward,” she wrote in the book, “Unite and Conquer: How to Build Coalitions That Win — and Last.”
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Her defense of the filibuster:
“Debate on bills should be a bipartisan process that takes into account the views of all Americans, not just one party,” Ms. Sinema wrote in one such missive. “Regardless of the party in control of the Senate, respecting the opinions of senators from the minority party will result in better, common-sense legislation.”
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Try to convince Mitch McConnell of that.
Having never served in the majority party of a legislature until this year, Ms. Sinema has herself practiced that approach for years. She is known to her colleagues as a social butterfly and appears to relish forging friendships with lawmakers across the aisle, a proclivity and skill that is exceptionally rare among politicians.

“She’s very engaging, she’s very bright, she’s very frank,” said Jonathan Rothschild, a Democrat and former mayor of Tucson. “Every time I have been with her, she has that ability to make you feel you are one of the most important people in the world.”

She has also refrained from litigating differences with colleagues in public, an attribute that has won her adoration from members of the other party.
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After Stimulus Victory in Senate, Reality Sinks in: Bipartisanship Is Dead - The New York Times
Republicans accused Democrats of abandoning any pretext of bipartisanship to advance a far-left agenda and jam through a liberal wish list disguised as a coronavirus rescue bill, stuffed with hundreds of billions of extraneous dollars as the pandemic is beginning to ebb. They noted that when they were in charge of the Senate and President Donald J. Trump was in office, they were able to deliver a series of costly coronavirus relief bills negotiated between the two parties.

...
Yet even as Mr. Biden hosted Republicans at the White House and engaged them in a series of discussions that were much more amiable than any during the Trump era, neither he nor Democratic congressional leaders made a real effort to find a middle ground, having concluded early on that Republicans were far too reluctant to spend what was needed to tackle the crisis.
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The Republicans only wanted to spend 1/3 of what Democrats wanted to spend.
 
The final version of the bill has passed the house. Biden will sign it Friday. Money will start going out next week.
 
The problem with this bill is that it is bloated and partisan. It had no Republican votes because there was hardly any effort at compromise.
Instead it has a lefty wish list like giving $1,400 checks to illegals. There is also $3-3.6k per child that does not depend on number of children. So it's a huge subsidy for people with very many children. If you have 10 kids, that's $30-36k in "free" money! Why should I pay for people breeding ireesponsibly?

A better, more targeted bill, could and should have been sought.
 
Derec said:
Instead it has a lefty wish list like giving $1,400 checks to illegals.
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That's not happening. You must have a social security number and have filed tax returns to get stimulus money. Stop listening to right-wing bullshit.
 
Roll Call 72 | Bill Number: H. R. 1319 - Mar 10, 2021, 02:08 PM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Vote Question: On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment
American Rescue Plan Act
Vote Type: Yea-And-Nay
Status: Passed

D: Y 220, N 1
R: N: 210, nv 1
Total: Y 220, N 211, nv 1

Jared Golden D-ME-02 is the only Democrat to vote against the bill.
Tom Tiffany R-WI-07 is the only one who did not vote.

Sahil Kapur on Twitter: "BREAKING: CONGRESS VOTES TO SEND $1.9 TRILLION COVID RELIEF BILL TO BIDEN'S DESK ..." / Twitter
BREAKING: CONGRESS VOTES TO SEND $1.9 TRILLION COVID RELIEF BILL TO BIDEN'S DESK

—$1,400 stimulus checks
—$300-a-week jobless benefits
—$3,000-$3,600 cash for kids
—$34B for ACA subsidies
—100% COBRA subsidies
—$350B state/local aid
—$14B vaccine distribution
—$25B rental aid

The House gave final passage to the Senate-approved Covid aid package on a vote of 220-211.

Just one Democrat voted NO on the Covid bill: Jared Golden of Maine.

Kurt Schrader flipped from NO on the original House bill to YES on final passage today.

The Covid bill has officially passed.

Next stop: @POTUS's desk.

White House say he'll sign it Friday afternoon.
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Congress passes $1.9T Covid relief bill, with $1,400 checks, in major win for Biden - showing Nancy Pelosi headed to the House floor for the vote.

Kurt Schrader is D-OR-05, from a district a little north from where I live.
 
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Congress just passed the COVID relief bill & it’s heading to Biden’s desk! ..." / Twitter
Congress just passed the COVID relief bill & it’s heading to Biden’s desk!

What does it mean for you?
- $1400 checks for you AND adult dependents 💸
- On top of that, up to $3600 per child over several payments 🧒🏽
- Cont’d $300 UI for 6 mos
- $10,200 in UI income won’t be taxed

What questions do you have on the package? Let me know and I’ll see if I can hop on IG live tonight to talk about it ⬇️
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She got questions like "What percentage of this bill is actually dollars going directly to those in need??" and "What's the path to getting 15/hr minimum wage now that it can't be passed as part of this bill? And how can we help?" and "If democrats were able to pass this bill without republicans, why can’t we pass $15 minimum wage and Medicare For All!? Why are democrats keep saying that we can’t pass anything without support from republicans? Yet you did this."
 
Derec said:
The problem with this bill is that it is bloated and partisan. It had no Republican votes because there was hardly any effort at compromise.
Instead it has a lefty wish list like giving $1,400 checks to illegals. There is also $3-3.6k per child that does not depend on number of children. So it's a huge subsidy for people with very many children. If you have 10 kids, that's $30-36k in "free" money! Why should I pay for people breeding ireesponsibly?

A better, more targeted bill, could and should have been sought.
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The Republicans have repeatedly shown they have no interest in compromise. There's no point in trying to compromise with them so we get a purely Democrat bill.
 
lpetrich said:
Roll Call 72 | Bill Number: H. R. 1319 - Mar 10, 2021, 02:08 PM | 117th Congress, 1st Session
Vote Question: On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment
American Rescue Plan Act
Vote Type: Yea-And-Nay
Status: Passed

D: Y 220, N 1
R: N: 210, nv 1
Total: Y 220, N 211, nv 1

Jared Golden D-ME-02 is the only Democrat to vote against the bill.
Tom Tiffany R-WI-07 is the only one who did not vote.

Sahil Kapur on Twitter: "BREAKING: CONGRESS VOTES TO SEND $1.9 TRILLION COVID RELIEF BILL TO BIDEN'S DESK ..." / Twitter
BREAKING: CONGRESS VOTES TO SEND $1.9 TRILLION COVID RELIEF BILL TO BIDEN'S DESK

—$1,400 stimulus checks
—$300-a-week jobless benefits
—$3,000-$3,600 cash for kids
—$34B for ACA subsidies
—100% COBRA subsidies
—$350B state/local aid
—$14B vaccine distribution
—$25B rental aid

The House gave final passage to the Senate-approved Covid aid package on a vote of 220-211.

Just one Democrat voted NO on the Covid bill: Jared Golden of Maine.

Kurt Schrader flipped from NO on the original House bill to YES on final passage today.

The Covid bill has officially passed.

Next stop: @POTUS's desk.

White House say he'll sign it Friday afternoon.
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Congress passes $1.9T Covid relief bill, with $1,400 checks, in major win for Biden - showing Nancy Pelosi headed to the House floor for the vote.

Kurt Schrader is D-OR-05, from a district a little north from where I live.
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I watched NP announce the passage. I think she actually did a little dance while doing so.
 
The child tax credit change is interesting. Provides payment monthly starting in June. My experience being poor is via my sister who pretty much gets the tax refund, gets in to the black and slowly drives into the red as the year goes along. Some of this is her fault, some of this is the self-perpetuation of being poor. Then tax refund, do it all over a again. The child tax credit being paid monthly would provide her and millions of families money to breath. Some of them will squander it, but hopefully many more will be able to get their heads above the water! $250 to $750 a month is not a tiny sum, especially when poor, and I can only imagine that it will help a lot!

Some will complain about free money. Then I think about people that earn income from selling shares... which provides no value to our economy. Don't want to raise the minimum wage, this is the other step. We aren't subsidizing the poor, we are subsidizing inadequate wages.

Loren Pechtel said:
Derec said:
The problem with this bill is that it is bloated and partisan. It had no Republican votes because there was hardly any effort at compromise.
Instead it has a lefty wish list like giving $1,400 checks to illegals. There is also $3-3.6k per child that does not depend on number of children. So it's a huge subsidy for people with very many children. If you have 10 kids, that's $30-36k in "free" money! Why should I pay for people breeding ireesponsibly?

A better, more targeted bill, could and should have been sought.
Click to expand...

The Republicans have repeatedly shown they have no interest in compromise. There's no point in trying to compromise with them so we get a purely Democrat bill.
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Yeah, I want compromise, a lot of it... but 25 years of "Fuck the Dems" policy from the GOP really has to carry some weight. In pandemic, fuck the Dems. Economic calamity, fuck the Dems we austerity!
 
Florida Sen. Rick Scott implores states to 'reject and return’ stimulus money. Gov. Ron DeSantis wants more.

Florida U.S. Sen. (*and multi-millionaire Medicare crook) Rick Scott has a message for states and cities poised to receive a collective $360 billion from the American Rescue Act stimulus package: Send it back.

Scott's call to to reject money that polls show is popular nationally, even among Republicans, has flared tension between Scott and another Florida GOP leader, Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In an open letter to governors and mayors, sent moments after the U.S. House on Wednesday approved the $1.9 trillion bill, Scott called it “massive, wasteful and non-targeted," urging states to follow his lead and send a message to Congress to “quit recklessly spending other people’s money.”
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*My addition.
 
Presidential Speech Highlights: Biden Calls For U.S. to ‘Mark Our Independence From This Virus’ by 4th of July - The New York Times
  • Biden directs states to make all adult Americans eligible for vaccine by May 1.
  • Looking to rapidly boost the U.S. economy, Biden highlights ‘massive effort to reopen our schools safely.’
  • Biden’s hopes for ‘unity’ may only apply outside of Washington.
  • Biden condemns ‘vicious’ hate crimes against Asian-Americans.
  • How can you get a vaccine? Biden expands ways to find the shots and the army of people to administer them.
  • Here’s a fact-check of Biden’s first prime-time White House address.
  • A weekslong campaign to sell the stimulus bill to the American public begins tonight.
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Covid stimulus update: Biden signs $1.9 trillion relief bill - "President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Thursday afternoon as Washington moves to send fresh aid this month."
He moved it up a day to get assistance to people quicker.
 
Here is that speech:
President Joe Biden addresses nation on first anniversary of Covid shutdown - YouTube
Several news services have video of it.

I think that it's a good one. JB seems MUCH more dignified and much more compassionate than his predecessor.


"Whiteboard Katie" Porter D-CA-45 explains the bill with her favorite expository tool. This nickname was inspired by the nickname of a previous notable Orange County politician, "B-1 Bob" Dornan.

Rep. Katie Porter on Instagram: “BREAKING DOWN THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN”
Tonight, I used my whiteboard to dive into key components of the American Rescue Plan. I covered disaster relief payments, the child tax credit, unemployment insurance, state and local funding, and more.
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She calls the "American Rescue Plan" a disaster-relief bill. She mentioned that though this relief package was rather late, it did deliver a lot.

Among her explanations, she states that this rescue plan is likely to help employment recover in 1 year. Without it, it would take at least 3 years for employment to recover.

You won't need to pay for your vaccine shots.
 
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Instagram: “What’s in the COVID Bill?”
It’s time to show you the money! 💸

We’re talking COVID relief:
- $1400 stimulus checks
- Dependents now get checks!!! (Hello students & disabled fam! 💸 That means you too!)
- $300 weekly UI
- $3000-3600 EXTRA cash PER CHILD this year
- FEMA will pay you back up to ~$7k for COVID funeral reimbursements
- First $10,200 in 2020 unemployment income will NOT be federally taxed! 🥳
- Cheaper ACA healthcare exchange premiums (free for some)
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She said about her haircut, "Let's not start a national crisis over it, right?" and she laughed. This is a reference to a time back in 2019 when she got a haircut and dye job and some right-wingers made a big scandal about that.

She is confident that this recent bill doesn't have nearly the amount of corporate giveaways that a similar bill from a year ago had. Back then, she denounced "the greed" in it from the House floor. Thus, more of the money will go to all of us.

"Let's take our wins when we can get them."
Yes, enjoy one's one's triumphs.

$1400/person, adult dependents also get checks. Income phaseout starts: $75,000/yr individually, $150,000/yr for a married couple. Last year: $75,000 to $100,000 phaseout range. Some conservative D's wanted $75,000 to $80,000. AOC herself introduced an amendment along with Cindy Axne stating that the first $10,200 in unemployment insurance should be tax-free. Something that they won.
 
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