USA TODAY
This week, USA TODAY Politics focuses on the run-up to President-elect Joe Biden s inauguration, his remaining Cabinet picks and the final week of the current Congress.
Dates to watch:
Jan. 5: Senate runoff election in Georgia.
Jan. 6: Congress will count and certify the electoral results in a joint session.
Jan. 20: Inauguration of Biden, who will take the oath of office.
Be sure to refresh this page often to get the latest information on the transition.
Trump to cut short Florida trip, return to White House
President Donald Trump will cut his annual holiday trip to Florida short and return to Washington on New Year’s Eve, the White House said Wednesday.
Stimulus checks for $600 went out and some may see direct deposit payments in their bank accounts before Jan. 4, according to the IRS.
Terri Stocki, certified counselor and educator for Advantage Credit Counseling Service in Pittston, advised when the the second round of COVID-19 relief checks arrive, people should take care of priorities first like buying food and paying rent or mortgage, utility, transportation and medical bills.
âItâs important to take care of the needs first,â Stocki said. âMany people have depleted any emergency savings they had, if they had any at all to begin with, to help get them by financially.â
Josh Hawley becomes first GOP senator to contest Bidenâs certification, likely forcing Jan. 6 fight
Hawley pledges fealty to Trump, puts GOP in a bind and positions himself for 2024 â all in bland, neutral language
December 30, 2020 7:34PM (UTC)
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) asks questions during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing to discuss election security and the 2020 election process on December 16, 2020 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump continues to push baseless claims of voter fraud during the presidential election, which Chris Krebs called the most secure in American history. (Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images)
Yen Appreciates On Uncertainty Over Additional Stimulus Payments
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen gained ground against its major counterparts during the European session on Wednesday, as receding hopes of an enhanced U.S. relief payments raised the appeal of safe-haven assets.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked Democrats attempt to immediately pass a bill that would grant $2000 in direct payments to qualified Americans.
He said that senators will address the measure this week, but the outcome is uncertain.
The U.S. state of Colorado reported the first case of the coronavirus variant that was discovered in the U.K. Health officials said that the person has no recent travel history and they are monitoring the situation very closely.
The Senate is not going to split apart the three issues that President Trump linked together just because Democrats are afraid to address two of them, he said on the Senate floor.
The Democratic-held House has approved a stand-alone bill to boost the checks to $2,000 from $600, as 44 Republicans prodded by Trump joined nearly all Democrats in backing the measure. The GOP-controlled Senate has said it will not pass the checks without attaching other Trump priorities that Democrats consider toxic and McConnell knows would sink any legislation.
Senate Minority Leader
Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tried to unanimously call up a vote on the stand-alone bill to send bigger payments for the second straight day. He said, the only way to get the American people the $2,000 checks they deserve and need is to pass the House bill, and pass it now. McConnell again rejected his request.