Senate Debate on $ 1.9 Trillion Covid Relief Reaches Unemployment Benefit Delays – Live | United States News

The Senate is preparing for a long weekend, as Democrats try to pass Joe Biden$ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief account.

Speaking to an NBC News reporter about the voting schedule, the Republican senator John Thune asked, “Did you bring your pillow?”

The vote was already expected to last for hours, as Republicans they signaled that they plan to introduce many amendments to force Democrats to take some difficult votes before the bill is passed.

And that was before the voting-a-rama stagnated for more than five hours today, while Democrats are trying to agree on federal unemployment benefits in the bill.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said earlier today: “The Senate is going to get a lot of votes. But let’s move on and finish this account, no matter how long it takes. “

According to Punchbowl News, senator Dan Sullivan, an Alaskan Republican, had to leave Washington because of a family problem.

Sullivan’s absence from Washington means that Republicans will have one less vote while trying to amend the coronavirus relief bill.

But most republican amendments should already fail, and the proposals will still force Democrats to get tough votes on issues like immigration and energy policy.

Time verification: Senate vote on Bernie Sanders‘minimum wage proposal has been open for more than five hours.

The vote was 42 to 58 for hours, which means that the measure will almost certainly be rejected.

But senate Democrats are keeping the vote open as they work to convince Joe Manchin to support Tom Carperthe proposal on the expansion of unemployment benefits in the coronavirus relief bill.

Manchin had previously considered supporting a proposal by the Republican senator Rob Portman, which would reduce federal unemployment insurance from $ 400 to $ 300 a week.

Passing reporters on Capitol Hill moments ago, Portman said he was on the phone with Manchin to get an idea if the moderate Democrat was still planning to support his proposal.

Joe Biden is now holding a roundtable on its $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill at the White House.

The White House said of the event: “The president will participate in a roundtable discussion with individuals who will benefit from receiving aid checks, thanks to the American Rescue Plan. They will discuss how these relief checks will help to alleviate some of the difficulties they faced due to Covid. “

The roundtable is being moderated by senior White House adviser and former Democratic congressman Cedric Richmond.

Progressive Congressman Ilhan Omar criticized the senate Democrats to limit eligibility for direct payments in the coronavirus relief bill.

In the House approved version of the relief bill, checks are completely eliminated for individuals who earn $ 100,000 a year, but the Senate bill reduces that income limit to $ 80,000 a year.

Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, noted that the change meant that around 17 million fewer Americans would receive checks from this aid package, compared to the two rounds of payments that Donald Trump okay.

“Obviously, we are now sending money to fewer people than the Trump administration and the majority in the Senate Republicans were willing to do that, ”said Omar.

“This is not the promise we made,” added the deputy. “So, in the end, it is a failure when we pledge not to deliver on behalf of the American people and deliver on our promises.”

This is where things are in the Senate: the voting-a-rama has been inactive for more than three hours.

Seems senate Democrats they are holding the $ 15 minimum wage vote open to have more time to negotiate a deal on expanding unemployment benefits in the relief bill.

Senator Tom Carper proposed reducing the federal unemployment benefit from $ 400 a week to $ 300 a week in exchange for extending benefits to the end of September (instead of August) and making $ 10,200 unemployment benefit tax exempt.

But according to several reports, the senator Joe Manchin it signaled that it could support a Republican proposal to reduce benefits to $ 300 a week, without any of the other parts of Carper’s measure.

Negotiations on the matter are continuing, so stay tuned.

The White House briefing has been completed. Here’s the day so far:

• The U.S. economy created 379,000 jobs last month, according to the latest report from the labor department. The unemployment rate fell slightly to 6.2%.
• The Senate initiated its “favorable vote” on the coronavirus relief bill. Senator Bernie Sanders has already submitted a proposal to add a federal minimum wage of $ 15 to the aid package, but that measure appears to have failed.
• Chuck Schumer promised that the Senate would remain in session until the aid project against the coronavirus was approved. “The Senate is going to get a lot of votes. But we will approve and finish this project, no matter how long it takes, ”said the Democratic majority leader this morning. “The American people are counting on us and our nation depends on it.”

The blog will have more news soon, stay tuned.

The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, rejected the notion that Joe Biden he was “snubbing” lawmakers by delaying his first speech at a joint session of Congress.

“There is no contempt going on here,” said Psaki. “We are in the middle of a global pandemic.”

Psaki added that Biden intended to address Congress soon and is in consultation with Congressional leaders to determine a date for this speech.

The White House previously indicated that Biden wants to wait to address Congress until he signs the coronavirus relief bill.