Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret Collins Microsoft, FireEye push for breach reporting rules after SolarWinds hack On The Money: Schumer urges Democrats to stick together on .9T bill | Collins rules out GOP support for Biden relief plan | Powell fights inflation fears Schumer urges Democrats to stick together on .9T bill MORE (R-Maine) says that President Biden Joe Biden Hoyer: House will vote on COVID-19 relief bill Friday Pence huddles with senior members of Republican Study Committee Powell pushes back on GOP inflation fears MORE ’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package likely won’t get any Republican votes on the Senate floor. And she pointed to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck Schumer Congress holds candlelight vigil for American lives lost to COVID-19 The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Lawmakers investigate Jan. 6 security failures Senate confirms Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador MORE (D-N.Y.) and White House chief of staff Ron Klain Ron Klain Collins: Biden's .9T coronavirus package won't get any Senate GOP votes Capito asks White House to allow toxic chemicals rule to proceed White House press aide resigns after threatening Politico reporter MORE as a major reason why bipartisan talks on the relief bill fell apart. Collins said Tuesday that Biden’s senior advisers have refused to come down from their $1.9 trillion proposal, which GOP moderates say is far too expensive given their preference for what they call “targeted” relief. ADVERTISEMENT As a result, Biden’s relief proposal, which is expected to pass the House this week and come to the Senate floor before March 14, will likely wind up passing by a straight party-line vote. Schumer is circumventing a Republican filibuster by using special budgetary rules to pass the relief bill with a simple majority. Vice President Harris would break the expected tie in the 50-50 Senate. ...
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House panel advances Biden’s $1.9T COVID-19 aid bill
The House Budget Committee on Monday advanced President Biden Joe Biden Hoyer: House will vote on COVID-19 relief bill Friday Pence huddles with senior members of Republican Study Committee Powell pushes back on GOP inflation fears MORE 's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill on a 19-16 party-line vote. The bill must be marked up by the House Rules Committee before consideration on the House floor, likely on Friday or Saturday. The legislation will then have to be taken up in the Senate, where it is expected to face considerable procedural and political challenges. "We are in a race against time. Aggressive, bold action is needed before our nation is more deeply and permanently scarred by the human and economic costs of inaction," Committee Chairman John Yarmuth John Allen Yarmuth Democrats in standoff over minimum wage On The Money: Neera Tanden's nomination in peril after three GOP noes | Trump rages after SCOTUS rules on financial records House panel advances Biden's .9T COVID-19 aid bill MORE (D-Ky.) said at the hearing. ADVERTISEMENT The bill includes $1,400 stimulus checks, extensions to emergency unemployment benefits, funding for vaccinations and testing, $129 billion for schools, increases to child tax credits and earned income tax credits, and a plan to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) noted that the legislation is widely popular, with some 70 percent public support, including half of Republicans. Republicans on the panel, however, slammed Democrats for advancing the bill through budget reconciliation, a process that will allow them to pass it without GOP support in the Senate, saying the legislation amounted to a "liberal wish list" and arguing that many of its provisions have nothing to do with the pandemic. "This is the wrong plan at the wrong time and for all the wrong reasons," said ranking member Jason Smith Jason Thomas Smith House ...
Biden To Visit Pentagon Wednesday For First Time As Commander-In-Chief
President Joe Biden will travel to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, Wednesday for the first time as Commander-in-Chief. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, senior military personnel and other members of civilian leadership, according to the White House. Additionally, the president and vice president will deliver remarks on the administration’s plans for the military and tour the Pentagon’s African Americans in Service Corridor in celebration of Black History Month. White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted in a statement that “as the first president in 40 years with a child who served in the military, [Biden] has a personal connection to the important role of the work of the military, the men and women who serve.” (RELATED: DOD Ordering Troops To Help Vaccinate Public) WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 25: Flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R), U.S. President Joe Biden signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on January 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) The Biden administration and Austin have vowed in recent days to further mobilize the military to help battle the coronavirus pandemic. White House coronavirus advisor Andy Slavitt announced Friday that Austin had ordered more than 1,000 active-duty troops to California to begin assisting at vaccination centers starting February 15. The White House added that additional pandemic-related missions would be announced in the coming weeks. Wednesday’s trip follows a similar outing to the State Department , where Biden outlined his plan to lead with “diplomacy” in seeking to counter China and Russia. “America’s alliances are among our greatest assets. And leading with diplomacy means standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies and key partners once more,” he said at the time. “But leading with diplomacy must also mean engaging our ...
White House Announces New CDC Mask Guidance, Three New Mass Vaccination Sites In Texas
White House coronavirus advisor Jeff Zients announced at Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing that the federal government will build three new mass vaccination sites in Texas and that the Centers for Disease Control had released its new guidance on tight-fitting masks. The sites will be located at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Ferris Park in Dallas, and NRG Stadium in Houston. Zients predicted that the sites will be opened to the public starting the week of Feb. 22 and, combined, will be capable of administering 10,000 vaccinations per day. (RELATED: White House Announces Increase In Weekly Vaccine Supply And Launches Another New Direct Shipment Program) WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 09: US President Joe Biden speaks as Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen meet with business leaders about the critical need for the American Rescue Plan in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C.(Photo by Pete Marovich-Pool/Getty Images) Texas marks the second state to formally partner with the White House to launch mass vaccine sites. The Biden administration announced on Feb. 3 that two sites would be constructed in California , and Zients vowed that this would be “just the beginning” of federal-state partnerships on mass vaccine sites. On the new mask guidance , CDC Director Rochelle Walensky explained the data that found that tight-fitting masks — which could be achieved by a number of ways including tightening and knotting mask loops behind the ears, the use of a mask “brace,” or double-masking — reduce particle spread by 95 percent compared to single-layer, loose-fitting masks. The guidance stops short of directly recommending Americans wear two masks wherever masks should be worn. WATCH: During the briefing, Zients additionally announced that the administration had named 12 non-government individuals to serve on its Coronavirus Equity Task Force. A White House press release identified the ...
Justice Department renews investigation into George Floyd’s death: report
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly reviving its investigation into George Floyd’s death, as sources tell The New York Times that the department is calling in new witnesses. The federal investigation into Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was seen in video kneeling on Floyd's neck for nine minutes, was held up during the Trump administration with then-Attorney General William Barr Bill Barr Justice Department renews investigation into George Floyd's death: report Putting antifa and Black Lives Matter on notice Families of Pensacola naval station shooting victims sue Saudi Arabia MORE saying the DOJ would let “ the state go forward with its proceedings first.” Two sources told The New York Times a new grand jury had been empaneled and fresh witnesses are being subpoenaed. ADVERTISEMENT Chauvin’s state trial on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter is to begin on March 8, almost a year after Floyd's death, which triggered nationwide protests. If he is acquitted in state court the focus would then likely shift to the federal proceedings, which examine possible civil rights violations. A source told The New York Times that the case seems to be focusing on Chauvin and not on the three other officers who were at the scene and are facing charges of aiding and abetting. Chauvin has been out on bail and has lived in a different state due to security concerns. Minneapolis will have the National Guard deployed during the trial in order to avoid the violence that occurred in the city last summer after Floyd’s death. Tags Minneapolis Justice Department William Barr Minnesota   ...
