Democrats are gearing up for a battle of public opinion as they seek to keep approval for President Biden Joe Biden Senate holds longest vote in history as Democrats scramble to save relief bill Ex-Trump appointee arrested in Capitol riot complains he won't be able to sleep in jail Biden helps broker Senate deal on unemployment benefits MORE ’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package at a high level. The legislation has proved popular so far despite near uniform GOP opposition in Congress, but Democrats aren’t taking any chances — particularly as Republicans step up their attacks on the measure. Biden and the party are conscious of the first years of the Obama White House, when public opinion turned against the new president’s stimulus legislation. Public opinion also faltered for the Affordable Care Act, and Democrats lost their House majority in 2010 while their Senate majority was greatly diminished. ADVERTISEMENT Biden this week encouraged House Democrats to “speak up and speak out” about the plan, suggesting the Obama administration “paid a price” for not taking enough of a victory lap after the 2009 recovery package. The White House, Democrats on Capitol Hill and outside groups are all planning advocacy efforts that will emphasize direct benefits in the package to everyday Americans, including the measure’s popular $1,400 direct payments, which would be distributed to millions of households. “Fourteen-hundred-dollar direct payments are popular,” Sen. Ron Johnson Ronald (Ron) Harold Johnson Johnson says leaving office after 2022 'probably my preference now' The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by ExxonMobil - Senate begins marathon vote-a-rama before .9T COVID-19 relief passage Senate braces for 'God-awful,' 'stupid' session ahead of COVID-19 relief vote MORE (R-Wis.) said when asked about the bill’s popularity in polls. “I can go out on the corner and hand out hundred-dollar bills and that’s ...
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Biden gets involved to help break Senate logjam
One of President Biden Joe Biden Senate holds longest vote in history as Democrats scramble to save relief bill Ex-Trump appointee arrested in Capitol riot complains he won't be able to sleep in jail Biden helps broker Senate deal on unemployment benefits MORE ’s biggest selling points on the 2020 campaign trail was that he knows how Washington, and more specifically the Senate, works and could get things done. On Friday evening he delivered when he helped break an eight-hour stalemate between centrist Sen. Joe Manchin Joseph (Joe) Manchin Senate Democrats vote to provide 0 unemployment benefits into September Senate GOP gets short-lived win on unemployment fight McConnell makes failed bid to adjourn Senate after hours-long delay MORE (D-W.Va.) and other Democrats on extending unemployment benefits beyond March 14, when they are due to expire. Under the deal, laid-off workers will receive $300-a-week federal unemployment benefits on top of their state benefits until Sept. 6. And the first $10,200 in unemployment benefits received in 2020 will be tax-free for households with less than $150,000 in annual income. ADVERTISEMENT Democratic senators say Biden was “very involved” in trying to mediate. They say that Biden, who served in the Senate from 1973 to 1996, called Manchin directly to get him to support a compromise proposal backed by the rest of the Democratic caucus. “President Biden has been very involved as you would expect him to be,” said a Democratic senator familiar with the negotiations. The senator said both sides had been trading paper back and forth through Friday afternoon and characterized the talks as “delicate.” The deal Biden helped craft extends weekly unemployment benefits to Sept. 6, which is a week longer than the Aug. 29 end date set by House-passed legislation. But the House-passed bill set weekly benefits at $400 a week, and progressive House lawmakers are likely to be angered ...
Senate braces for ‘God-awful,’ ‘stupid’ session ahead of COVID-19 relief vote
Senators on Friday are bracing for an hours-long marathon session as Democrats race to pass a sweeping coronavirus relief bill. The Senate will start a vote-a-rama, a free-wheeling session where any senator will be able to force a vote on a potential change to the nearly $1.9 trillion bill, at noon. “This ... is a chaotic process to start with, and it’s certainly working out that way,” said Sen. John Thune John Randolph Thune Senate holds longest vote in history as Democrats scramble to save relief bill Biden helps broker Senate deal on unemployment benefits Democrats break COVID-19 impasse with deal on jobless benefits MORE (R-S.D.). ADVERTISEMENT Sen. Dick Durbin Dick Durbin Democrats break COVID-19 impasse with deal on jobless benefits COVID-19 relief debate stalls in Senate amid Democratic drama Democrats close in on deal to provide tax relief for unemployment recipients MORE (D-Ill.) described the hectic session as “god-awful” and dilatory given that Senate Democrats are expected to have the votes to pass the coronavirus bill — it’s just a question of when. “It will come to an end. I don't know if it will be one day or five days. ... It’s a total waste of time. I wish we could change it,” Durbin said. Sen. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham Senate holds longest vote in history as Democrats scramble to save relief bill Biden helps broker Senate deal on unemployment benefits Senate braces for 'God-awful,' 'stupid' session ahead of COVID-19 relief vote MORE (R-S.C.) said a vote-a-rama allows senators to force votes, something they aren’t normally able to do, but added that it was also “stupid.” The session comes after the Senate was in session until early Friday morning after Sen. Ron Johnson Ronald (Ron) Harold Johnson Johnson says leaving office after 2022 'probably my preference now' The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by ExxonMobil - Senate begins marathon ...
Biden turns focus to next priority with infrastructure talks
President Biden Joe Biden Senate holds longest vote in history as Democrats scramble to save relief bill Ex-Trump appointee arrested in Capitol riot complains he won't be able to sleep in jail Biden helps broker Senate deal on unemployment benefits MORE is starting to look beyond coronavirus relief to his next legislative fight, preparing to lay out a recovery package that makes significant investments in rebuilding U.S. infrastructure. Biden met with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Pete Buttigieg The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by ExxonMobil - Senate begins marathon vote-a-rama before .9T COVID-19 relief passage The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - Virus relief bill headed for weekend vote Biden turns focus to next priority with infrastructure talks MORE and a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for over an hour on Thursday afternoon, his second bipartisan meeting with the group over the past month. The president is expected to lay out his “Build Back Better” recovery plan sometime after the Senate passes its $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, which the chamber took up on Thursday and could pass by the weekend. While the White House has been mum on details of the recovery plan, it’s likely to at least partly mirror the $2 trillion infrastructure and climate proposal he laid out on the campaign trail and include a hefty investment in infrastructure to spur job creation. ADVERTISEMENT Lawmakers from both parties described Thursday’s meeting as productive, though it remains to be seen whether Biden can use his legislative chops to usher in bipartisan cooperation on major legislation. Former President Trump Donald Trump Trump announces new tranche of endorsements DeSantis, Pence tied in 2024 Republican poll Lawmakers demand changes after National Guard troops at Capitol sickened from tainted food MORE ran on a ...
Trump announces new tranche of endorsements
Former President Trump Donald Trump Trump announces new tranche of endorsements DeSantis, Pence tied in 2024 Republican poll Lawmakers demand changes after National Guard troops at Capitol sickened from tainted food MORE released a new tranche of endorsements as he asserts himself as the leader of the Republican Party going into the 2022 midterms. In a trio of endorsements Friday evening, Trump announced his support for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo Michael (Mike) Dean Crapo Trump announces new tranche of endorsements Biden convenes bipartisan meeting on cancer research Senate panel unanimously advances top Biden economic nominees MORE (R), both of whom are running for reelection, and Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin John (Tim) Timothy Griffin The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by TikTok - Senate trial will have drama, but no surprise ending Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin drops gubernatorial campaign, to run for attorney general Sarah Huckabee Sanders's run for governor an early test for Trump allies MORE (R), who is running to be his state’s attorney general. In his endorsements, Trump cast the lawmakers as staunch supporters of an array of conservative values, touting their stances on immigration, gun rights and more. ADVERTISEMENT Trump said McMaster “is Strong on the Military, our Vets, Crime, and the Second Amendment” and that Crapo “will continue to be a Champion for our Second Amendment and the great Outdoorsmen and Women of Idaho and the USA.” The former president added that Griffin “will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the brave Men and Women of Law Enforcement.” The slew of endorsements underscore Trump’s deepening involvement in races across the country heading into the 2022 midterms. Trump appears set to style himself as a GOP kingmaker, and his support remains a huge benefit to Republicans running in ruby red states like ...
