More than seven months after the House first passed the HEROES Act, last week both chambers of Congress finally got around to actually legislating a new COVID-19 relief bill. For a New York minute, it looked as if the millions of Americans whose unemployment benefits stand to run out this weekend would see at least a temporary reprieve.
In the abstract, the idea of an increased stimulus payment isn’t a bad idea – and immediately after Trump’s intervention, Democrats in the House did push for the increase. The problem, which Trump’s White House team know all too well, is that the bulk of the Congressional GOP won’t play ball with such a large stimulus. Trump’s intervention, at the back end of months of painstaking congressional negotiations, can only either delay or torpedo a relief package that, for all its flaws, is essential to protect the economy over the coming months. Absent it, Biden will inherit not only a cascading public health emergency but also a growing econo
Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Theater: Things to Do in Washington, December 24-27
Plus: Try acting out a play at home.
Merry Christmas y’all. If you’re not familiar with the amazing Nicole Byer (above), you really need to watch the holiday special of Nailed It.
Here’s what you should check out this holiday weekend:
Watch: The Keegan Theatre is releasing a filmed version of its annual production of
An Irish Carol, an homage to Dickens’s play with a twist. Set in Dublin, the Christmas show focuses on a pub owner’s journey from Scrooge-y to cheery. Available Thursday 12/24 through December 31; $30 per household for a one-week rental, buy tickets here.
23 Dec 2020
Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson criticized Congress for the $2.3 trillion COVID-19 relief bill for millions going to international priorities and mocking it for the $600 in stimulus.
Transcript as follows:
CARLSON: Relief is finally here after tense negotiations and multiple rounds of televised theatrics, the Congress has passed a definitive spending bill. It is 5,593 pages long and it amounts to $2.3 trillion. That includes nearly a trillion in COVID relief.
All of it comes right from the U.S. Treasury, which is busy printing it right now. That’s a lot of money.
On the other hand, there’s a lot of need. Thanks in part to government lockdowns, more than a hundred million Americans are out of the workforce tonight. One in six restaurants is closed. Huge parts of the retail sector are in tatters.
By
Dec 23, 2020 04:54 AM EST
Designed for providing the long-awaited assistance to American industries, and small businesses ailing from the COVID-19 pandemic, both chambers of Congress passed a $900 billion relief measure on Monday night.
Pairing to the $900 billion package is the $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill that will fund the federal government through September.
Divided into two parts, the vote of the House of Representatives first includes the Commerce, Justice, Defense; Science; which was passed by a 327 to 85 vote, CBS News reported.
The second part involves eight spending bills which include the coronavirus relief bill and passed by a margin of 359 to 53.
Tucker Carlson Tonight host sounds off on bloated spending bill, with millions going to Sudan, Pakistan
After tense negotiations and multiple rounds of televised theatrics, Congress has passed a spending bill. It s 5,593 pages long, and allocates $2.3 trillion, including more than $900 billion in COVID relief.
That s a lot of money, but on the other hand, there s a lot of need. Thanks in part to government lockdowns, more than 100 million Americans are out of the workforce. One in six restaurants is closed. Huge parts of the retail sector are in tatters. J. Crew, Pier 1, Neiman Marcus, Brooks Brothers, Century 21 and many others are in bankruptcy.