With yet another failed impeachment conviction under their belts, House Democrats have refocused their efforts, and are aiming for a Feb. 26 vote on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, according to Bloomberg.
The tight timeline was announced on a call between House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and fellow Democrats, and reflects a need to quickly approve another round of stimulus payments, along with enhanced unemployment benefits and – of course, money for schools which top infectious diseases doctor-cum Biden spokesman Dr. Anthony Fauci said is required to get teachers back into classrooms. Of note, several key benefits from the last round of pandemic stimulus will expire in four weeks on March 14.
In order to push legislation through by then, Democrats will likely need to amend certain provisions, including the $15 federal minimum wage requirement that at least two Democratic Senators – Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona – say they are opposed to. If the bill gets rejected in the Senate, an amended version would have to go through the House again, wasting valuable time.
The eagerness of congressional Democrats to move past Trump was evident from start to end of the shortest Senate impeachment trial in history. The agreement on the trial format between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and GOP leader Mitch McConnell kept the proceedings compressed, and the four days of arguments ended ahead of schedule.
After Senators voted on Saturday to allow witnesses to testify — a surprise result that risked delaying the trial’s conclusion by several weeks — House impeachment managers and the former president’s defense team agreed to enter a public statement into the record. That let the chamber move on to a verdict that day, acquitting Trump.
Although Democrats expressed disappointment in the outcome, they said they are ready to put the former president behind them and focus on Biden’s priorities. -Bloomberg
“We in Congress need to move forward with delivering the expanded unemployment checks, the stimulus checks, the reinvestment in our economy that the American people so desperately need and deserve,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) on ABC‘s “This Week.” – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --