After five days of deliberations, President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial has ended, culminating in the ex-president’s acquittal.
There was much concern during the trial about whether the trial would interrupt a quick consideration of President Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 billion economic stimulus project, which in turn would send $ 1,400 checks to most Americans.
Since Tuesday, the impeachment trial has dominated the Senate calendar, as senators have had to weigh the testimony of the House’s impeachment managers and Trump’s defense of whether he should be convicted of inciting a riot on the United States Capitol on January 6.
Then, on Saturday, impeachment administrators in the House surprised the senators by calling witnesses. Initially, the senators obliged, voting 55-45, to call witnesses. But summoning witnesses may have added weeks to the trial, prolonging a result that probably would still have ended in acquittal.
After a chaotic recess in the U.S. Senate on Saturday, House administrators withdrew the call for witnesses, marking the absolution vote on Saturday.
But for those who think that work on the stimulus bill will begin immediately now that the impeachment has been completed, think again.
Both the House and the Senate are at intervals scheduled for this week.
Last week, House committees voted on sections of the stimulus proposal. As the Senate is using the budgetary reconciliation process in an effort to circumvent legislative obstruction, the stimulus bill will be voted on little by little. On Wednesday, the House’s Methods and Resources Committee voted for a section of the stimulus proposal that will send checks of $ 1,400 to Americans earning up to $ 75,000 a year. The House committee also approved $ 400 unemployment supplements by the end of September.
However, it remains to be seen whether those earning up to $ 75,000 a year will receive a full stimulus check. A group of Democrats sent a letter to Biden this week asking him to keep the amount at $ 75,000, but other members of the caucus want a lower, more targeted limit.
On Sunday, during an interview with Jake Tapper of CNN, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen suggested a figure between $ 50,000 and $ 75,000.
“(Biden) would not like a family earning more than $ 300,000 to receive these payments,” said Yellen. “But if you think of an elementary school teacher or a police officer who earns $ 60,000 a year and comes across children who are out of school and people who may have been taken out of the workforce to care for them and lots of extra burdens, I – he thinks, and I would certainly agree, that it is appropriate for people there to get support ”.
The stimulus proposals cannot leave the committee until the plenary of the Chamber meets again in the week of February 22.
The Senate also resumes legislative action that week.
The interruption of legislative action in the Senate gave Biden time to garner bipartisan support for his project. On Friday, he invited a group of mayors and governors from both parties in an attempt to sell the “Aid Plan to America”.
“The president was extremely attentive, listened to each of the elected officials, both governors and mayors of both parties, listened to our comments and concerns,” said Republican Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami. “We had a reflective conversation from side to side. , and I think he will use our contribution to make the bill better and, hopefully, pass it for the benefit of the American people. “
Some Republicans, however, said they feel left out of the process.
“While we are still pushing $ 900 billion in relief that Congress passed less than two months ago, although a group of Senate Republicans met with President Biden to discuss bipartisan ways for hundreds of billions more, Democrats from Washington have decided that they want to go alone, ”said Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell on Monday.
In addition to the economic stimulus, the Senate also has the task of confirming members of Biden’s cabinet. As of Saturday, only six of Biden’s 15 nominees have been confirmed. Several important positions, including attorney general and secretary of health and human services, remain unfilled.