March 8, 2021 6:07 AM By Brandon Lee
President Joe Bidenâs $1.9 trillion package will sail through the House when it takes up the bill on Tuesday, according to Democratic lawmakers and aides, even after proposals progressives championed were scaled back.
The Senateâs changes to the House-passed bill, made to appease moderates and comply with parliamentary rules, included dropping a proposed minimum wage increase but are unlikely to prove enough to make progressive Democrats vote against it.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) can only afford to have four Democrats oppose a bill for it to pass, if all members are voting and Republicans are lined up in opposition, given her partyâs thin majority. Two Democrats joined a united GOP in voting against the initial version of the stimulus.
Some members of the groups participated in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, prompting Democrats and progressives to label the organizations as far-right, anti-government extremist, and white supremacist. Some leaders of the groups reject those characterizations.
Tom Kampert, a veteran and member of the Oath Keepers, denied such claims in a Friday op-ed for the Daily Independent:
The Oath Keepers is an association of like-minded people who, at some point in their life, took an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States. Veterans, police officers, active-duty military are what makes up their membership. They are not a militia. They are not white supremacist. Their membership is made up of all races. They are not anti-government. Their message is that there is no expiration date on their oath. That they will always honor it. They expect the same from government officials, both appointed and elected.
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AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Today will be the third time a militant mob will storm the US Capitol since January 6.
The U.S. Capitol Police said Wednesday that they have information regarding a possible plot by a militant group to breach the Capitol on Thursday, a date that some followers of the QAnon extremist ideology falsely claim will mark former president Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The department declined to name the group or provide additional details, citing the “sensitive nature” of the information. In a statement, the department said it is “prepared for any potential threats.”
Push to audit Pritzker’s handling of veterans home outbreak has bipartisan support by Greg Bishop, The Center Square | March 02, 2021 08:00 PM Print this article
While Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said there’s an ongoing inspector general investigation of the handling of the LaSalle Veterans’ Home COVID-19 outbreak, there’s bipartisan support for a separate investigation.
There is also legislation to require state public health officials to visit the site of a disease outbreak at a state-run facility as “soon as practical.”
Last fall, a COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home killed 36. The outbreak began Nov. 1, 2020, and quickly spread, sickening nearly everyone.