The Senate is taking a giant step in direction of passing Biden’s COVID-19 aid package deal

Key provisions discussed Thursday evening and Friday morning included relief payments of $ 1,400 per person. The Democrats made a huge mistake by pointing out openness to more stringent testing and phasing out payments at a lower income level – maybe just $ 50,000 a year – from previous COVID-19 payments. With the level of income that qualified people or barred them from receiving payments as of 2019, before millions of people lost their jobs in a global pandemic, it could be missing quite a number of people who really need help. A sharp limitation on who gets those payments by using outdated information would be both a terrible policy and a terrible policy.

Many of the proposed amendments were Republican attempts to throw wrenches or force Democrats to vote hard. However, such an effort particularly failed when Senator Joni Ernst stood up to call on the Senate to pass an amendment prohibiting the minimum wage from increasing to $ 15 during a global pandemic. Ernst was outraged that anyone would try something like this … and then Senator Bernie Sanders, the main sponsor of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021, rose to approve its change because his bill gradually increased the minimum wage to only $ 15 in 2025. Sanders stressed the importance of raising the minimum wage and called for it to be passed in the final reconciliation bill because “we need to end the starvation wage crisis in Iowa and the United States” – but “I will support this amendment because no one speaks of doubling the federal minimum wage during the pandemic. “To Ernst’s obvious surprise, Sanders volunteered to vote on the amendment.

Democrats also opposed an attempt to ban a federal carbon tax. Other damaging Republican amendments were successful, however: eight Democrats voted yes to Sen. Todd Young’s move banning undocumented immigrants from receiving stimulus payments, and two Democrats joined Republicans on an amendment that seeks to remove the Keystone XL pipeline to protect.

Most of the amendments are non-binding, however. Overall, the night was a huge win – the media will speak of it as Democrats versus Republicans, but the real win is here for people struggling in the COVID-19 economy and needing the relief that will ultimately come thanks to that first one Poll.

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After a nightly meeting, Vice President Kamala Harris breaks a tie at 5:30 a.m., approves the Senate budget decision by 51-50 votes, and paves the way for Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, next month without a Republican Votes should be passed. pic.twitter.com/9dGoaYZD9a

– Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) February 5, 2021