By slimmest of margins, Senate takes up $1.9T relief bill
WASHINGTON >> The Senate voted by the slimmest of margins Thursday to begin debating a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, after Democrats made eleventhhour changes aimed at ensuring they could pull President Joe Biden’s top legislative priority through the precariously divided chamber.
Democrats were hoping for Senate approval of the package before next week, in time for the House to sign off and get the measure to Biden quickly. They were encountering opposition from Republicans arguing that the measure’s massive price tag ignored promising signs that the pandemic and wounded economy were turning around.
Late additions
Democratic leaders made over a dozen late additions to their package, reflecting their need to cement unanimous support from all their senators — plus Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote — to succeed in the 50-50 chamber. It’s widely expected the Senate will approve the bill and the House will whisk it to Biden for his signature by midMarch, handing him a crucial early legislative victory.
The Senate’s 51-50 vote to start debating the package, with Harris pushing Democrats over the top, underscored how they were navigating the package through Congress with virtually no margin for error. In the House their majority is a scrawny 10 votes.
Some details
The bill, aimed at battling the killer virus and nursing the staggered economy back to health, will provide direct payments of up to $1,400 to most Americans. There’s also money for COVID-19 vaccines and testing, aid to state and local governments, help for schools and the airline industry, tax breaks for lowerearners and families with children, and subsidies for health insurance.
“We are not going to be timid in the face of a great challenge,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
The new provisions offered items appealing to all manner of Democrats. Progressives got money boosting feeding programs, federal subsidies for health care for workers who lose jobs, tax-free student loans, and money for public broadcasting and consumer protection investigations.
Moderates won funds for rural health care, language assuring minimum amounts of money for smaller states and a prohibition on states receiving aid using the windfalls to cut taxes. And for everyone, there was money for infrastructure, cultural venues, start-up companies and afterschool programs.
Even with the late revisions, there was a good chance lawmakers will make yet another one and vote to pare back the bill’s $400 weekly emergency unemployment benefits to $300.
That potential change could also extend those emergency payments another month, through September. It was described by aides and a lobbyist who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations.
Jobless benefits
Biden and Senate leaders had agreed Wednesday to retain the $400 weekly jobless payments included in the version of the relief bill the House approved Saturday. The reduction to $300 — which seemed likely to occur once the Senate begins a “vote-a-rama” on scores of amendments later this week — seemed to reflect a need to secure support from moderate Democrats.
It also left House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the task of keeping her chamber’s numerous progressives on board. Liberals already suffered a blow when their No. 1 priority — a federal minimum wage increase to $15 hourly that was included in the House package — was booted from the bill in the Senate for violating the chamber’s rules and for lack of moderates’ support.
Eligibility tightened
In another bargain that satisfied moderates, Biden and Senate Democrats agreed Wednesday to tighten eligibility for the direct checks to individuals. The new provision completely phases out the $1,400 payments for individuals earning at least $80,000 and couples making $160,000, well lower than the original ceilings.
“My hope is they don’t screw around with it too much,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said of the Senate in an interview. “If they do there could be some problems.”
Congress wants to send the bill to Biden before March 14, when a previous round of emergency benefits for people tossed out of work by the pandemic expires.
GOP reacts
As soon as the Senate began considering the bill, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., forced the chamber’s clerks to begin reading the entire 628-page measure aloud. He said earlier that he was doing it to “shine the light on this abusive and obscene amount of money.”
Schumer said Johnson would “accomplish little more than a few sore throats for the Senate clerks.”
Asked about GOP delays, Biden told reporters he’s talked to Republican lawmakers and added, “We’re keeping everybody informed.” Biden met last month with Republican senators who offered a plan one-third the size of Democrats’ proposal, and there have been no signs since of serious talks.
Johnson’s move, which would take many hours to complete, pointed to a larger GOP argument: Democrats were ramming an overpriced bill through that disregarded that growing numbers of vaccinations and other signs suggesting the country’s pandemic ordeal is beginning to ease.
“Instead of heading into a dark tunnel, we’re accelerating out of it,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
A recovery?
The economic recovery began to stall late last year as the virus surged, causing a shortfall in hiring in recent months. Employers added just 49,000 jobs in January and cut 227,000 jobs in December. Economists estimate that the February employment report being released Friday will show gains of 175,000, not nearly enough to swiftly recover the nearly 10 million jobs lost to the pandemicinduced recession.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates economic growth will exceed 4% this year without Biden’s rescue package. Republicans cite that as evidence the economy is pointed upward, but Democrats say a strong economic stimulus is still needed to prevent a relapse.
“It’s a crisis that is still very much with us, and it is deadly, deadly serious,” Schumer said.
Last weekend I was on the south part of town and realized that among the gum wrappers, unpaid water bill and previously-important Post-it notes, I might find a gift card. It’s easy to forget that you possess gift cards, which is undoubtedly part of the financial plan for larger chain stores. If you carry them for long enough, inflation will soon whittle away your buying power. You might also lose a gift card while you’re fumbling for your keys and bam — the store earns an instant profit.
Recently I used a long-forgotten gift card and learned the shyster store charges a monthly fee. Since this crash in my consumer confidence, I have resolved to spend my gift cards with efficiency.
Despite the gripes, I do love gift cards. They are always the right color and the right size and they force me to do something nice for myself.
At Christmas, my step-mom Lynda had gathered up all of the gift cards she and Dad earned with their credit card points (plus many more she bought at those huge racks of cards at the grocery stores). She placed them in envelopes, and stuffed all the envelopes into a grab bag.
My sister Tania and I took turns blindly drawing cards, one at a time.
I might not go out of my way to spend $25 at Krispy Kreme donuts. However, now that I have a gift card I’ll splurge for some deep-fried love that will land on the break table at my school.
I’d love to spend $50 at Target. However, we have a baby on the way in my family. A gift card for Target happens to be on the mom-to-be’s registry.
The past few weeks have been tough. It’s beautiful outside, but I’ve been learning how to give state-mandated tests. I ache to soak up Vitamin D at upper Bidwell Park. Yet, on the weekends I spend hours dreaming up Zoom lessons that don’t feel talking through a tin can attached to a string and stretched between two skyscrapers.
Then I remember that it’s not just that I’m tired. I’m bummed I can’t call my Dad for teaching advice because he died in January.
Yes, I had a gift card for Home Depot, which has a garden section.
The garden section is outdoors. I’m a teacher and two weeks ago I had my second COVID-19 vaccine. I can risk a few minutes looking at plants I may or may not buy.
Tomato and pepper plants are already on sale. However, we may still have some cool weather. Jerry Mendon cautioned me years ago not to plant tomatoes in early spring because a chill could cause the plants to grow more slowly. I’ll let the professionals continue to nurture tomatoes in temperature-controlled greenhouses.
My hope was that Home Depot would have Vinca rosea, also known as Madagascar periwinkle. Each year I buy a few six-packs and wish I had bought eight six-packs. They bloom nearly all summer and take about as much fuss as cooking a microwave dinner.
Early annual color is available now, including viola and impatiens. However, when I have planted these in the past they turn to sickly by the time I turn on my air conditioner. Bright lobelia was also for sale last week, but I’ve killed that as well.
Among my mainstays is Portulaca (not yet in stock), which also thrives in summer heat and neglect.
Lettuce and spinach were spilling out of a pint-sized container. However, I have already planted those by seed, thank you very much.
Thank you for the gift card, Lynda. I bought a perennial lavender, and vowed not to water it too much. I’ve killed at least three lavender plants this way. Maybe I’ll put the lavender plant on my desk at work and at least enjoy it as a $6 bouquet.
I also found a stepping stone for $1.48.
The card still has a balance of about $15, so I’ll throw it into the bottom of my purse for a rainy day.
On a mood-improvement roll, I toured my garden. Yes, daffodils
are blooming. The buds on my variegated Daphne plant are threatening to pop. My neighbor’s quince is blooming a color not often seen in nature and hyacinth bulbs are well on their way.
Garden enthusiast Heather Hacking loves when you share what’s growing on. Reach out at sowtheregardencolumn@ gmail.com, and snail mail, P.O. Box 5166, Chico CA 95927.