Elected president Joe Biden
Joe Biden Flights from Nashville halted due to telecom problems related to RV blast Does Haaland show Biden’s commitment to the public land fracking ban? Police: Vehicle That Exploded in Nashville, Warned of the Blast MORE is already putting pressure on Congress to push through more coronavirus relief early next year, paving the way for a high-profile battle with GOP lawmakers shortly after he took office.
Congress gave about $ 900 billion in new aid after months of haggling as COVID-19 cases grew, businesses closed, cities reintroduced lockdown restrictions, and hundreds of thousands of Americans died from the virus.
The bill, that President Trump
Donald Trump Millions Will Lose Jobless Benefits Amid Trump Standoff With Congress The Memo: Could Pence Run And Win In 2024? Flights from Nashville have been halted due to telecommunications problems related to RV blast MORE but not threatened with veto, is meant to help the country through what public health experts warn it will be a brutal winter, even with two vaccines being administered. However, Biden and the Democrats see it as a “down payment” pending additional aid they want to pass on next year.
“I’ve been saying all along that this bill is just the first step – a down payment – to deal with the crisis… we’re in it. There is still a lot of work to be done. Early next year, I will present my plans for what comes next to Congress, ”Biden told reporters at a press conference shortly after Congress passed the aid package, pegged $ 1.4 trillion to the government through September 30. to fund.
Biden’s pledge is echoed by Democratic leaders who pledge to work with him to push for more funding once he is sworn in as president on January 20.
“We have new hope that comes from the vaccine and from President-elect Biden’s commitment to following science. We are ready for the next step, ”Speaker Nancy Pelosi
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Minority leader in the Senate Charles Schumer
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But Biden will likely face significant headwinds from Senate Republicans regardless of which party controls the Senate after Georgia’s two second elections on Jan. 5.
If Republicans win one or both races in Georgia, they have 51 or 52 seats in the room, meaning the Senate leader is majority leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnell GOP Tries To Avoid Messy Trump Fight Over Electoral College. Bicameral Group Urges Trump to Sign COVID-19 Aid Package Meghan McCain Says Merry Christmas to Everyone Except ‘Healthy People Under 65’ Getting Vaccine for Frontline Workers MORE (R-Ky.) Will determine which measures will come up in a vote. If Democrats win both seats, they can enforce a 50-50 majority, but still need GOP support to pass most legislation.
Top Republicans warn that while they expect Biden to ask for more COVID-19 help, it is far from guaranteed that Congress will sign it.
‘Nothing is guaranteed. … I am confident you will hear from the administration and in particular from state and local ”governments, Sen. John Cornyn
John CornynGOP tries messy Trump fight to avoid passage of Electoral College Relief bill, battle to declare victory begins, blame Congress for passing seven-day emergency stop to buy time for COVID-19 Financing Agreement MORE (R-Texas) said of the prospect for more relief next year.
Her. John Thune
John Randolph ThuneGOP Tries To Prevent Messy Trump Fight Over Electoral College Trump’s Final Weeks Are Creating Chaos For Congressional Republicans Jostling To Prevent End-of-Year Legislative Disaster MORE (SD), the No. 2 GOP senator, said the push for more coronavirus relief may be driven by the outcome of the two Georgia races.
“I think the incoming administration sees it as something they can do every now and then that they can come back to next year. Much of this probably depends on what is happening in Georgia, ”said Thune, asking if he considered the year-end package as a down payment.
McConnell was noncommittal when asked on a recent Fox News interview about providing more help.
“If after the new government comes in they want to argue more, we’ll look at it based on the conditions in the country,” McConnell said.
The fight could come to a head pretty quickly, even if Biden will have to juggle to get his administration going as he tries to address other priorities for his first 100 days in office.
Biden plans to push for more help as early as January or February. Meanwhile, Congress will face a series of so-called relief cliffs as the programs approved under its latest bill begin to gradually disappear. The largest deadline will be when the 10-week extension of unemployment included in the comprehensive year-end deal begins to expire in mid-March. And depending on when they sign up, small businesses can start at the end of their Paycheck Protection Program loans around the same time.
“I think everyone understands that Vice President Biden is going to ask for another bill, so we will probably have another chance to look at it again soon,” Cornyn said of the impending unemployment cliff.
Biden outlines a broad, ambitious wish list for a potential package, which could be a big lift as Republicans become increasingly wary of the deficit after embracing high spending under President Trump. Biden, who has called for more money for COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution, also says he needs state and local funding, an expansion of federal unemployment benefits and rental assistance, and a third round of incentive checks.
But the two sides are still deeply divided over their respective priorities left out of the $ 900 billion deal: more help for state and local governments and a GOP push for protection against coronavirus-related lawsuits.
Pelosi and Schumer pledge to provide direct funds to state and local governments, whose officials have warned they may need to scrap their services as the coronavirus dries up their tax bases.
“I think we will have a more robust bill on state and local and many other issues … under President Biden’s administration that we have now,” Schumer told reporters.
But money for state and local governments is considered anathema by some Republicans, and GOP leaders have been warning for months that such funds would cut the number of votes they could get to support a new package. A bipartisan group included more money in their framework for a compromise measure, but it was dropped from the final agreement drawn up by the leadership.
McConnell has already said he will “push” for protection against coronavirus-related lawsuits to be included in any additional COVID-19 measures.
“I think liability exemption is very important,” said McConnell. “And if there is another bill for coronavirus after the first of the year, I will insist that liability protection for these universities and healthcare providers be part of that.”
Democrats were wary of those efforts because they were concerned that legal protections would undermine state-passed regulations and erode worker safety standards.
“We could not reach an agreement on liability. I tried non-stop for two weeks and it didn’t work, ”said Sen. Dick Durbin
Warren and other senators seek investigation into Trump administration resuming federal executions Biden taps senior Hoyer staffer to join administration’s communications team Lawmakers expect MORE COVID-19 aid deal soon (D-Ill.) On the recent attempts by Congress to find common ground on the matter.
Biden seems to have acknowledged that Congress could throw a curveball in its plans for additional relief.
Asked by reporters if he could assure lawmakers to act quickly, Biden seemed amused.
‘You all ask the most interesting questions. Have you ever known anyone in the history of the United States of America who could be president and assure exactly what Congress is going to do? Biden said. “I cannot assure anything but I can tell you what I expect.”
“There are still people who don’t want to help, there are still people pushing for my road or the highway,” added Biden. “But the vast majority of members of Congress, I think, will be able to resolve those specific issues that are of national importance.”