Congressional Republicans balk at Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion relief plan, complicating push for quick

[Wicked Blue]

Washington Post
By Jeff Stein and Erica Werner

A growing number of congressional Republicans are expressing opposition to President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic relief proposal, complicating the incoming administration’s push to quickly inject additional aid into the U.S. economy.

Congressional Republican lawmakers and aides on Friday predicted widespread GOP opposition to the plan Biden unveiled the day before, particularly over its provisions to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and provide $350 billion in state and local aid.

Democrats will have a narrow Senate majority and could pass a relief package without any Republican votes. But doing so would require a parliamentary Senate procedure that could take weeks and may require Biden to jettison key parts of his proposal, such as the increase in the minimum wage. Approving a relief package solely with Democratic votes would also fly against Biden’s repeated campaign pledges to unify lawmakers and cut bipartisan deals across party lines.

Biden officials this week made early overtures to the centrist congressional Republicans in the bipartisan group that broke the logjam over stimulus spending in December, according to three people granted anonymity to share details of private conversations. That group included Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine.), among others. Major concessions to this group could also spur a backlash among liberal Senators.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/01/15/biden-stimulus-gop/

Not surprised

[Make7]

1. Things really are getting back to normal. ( n/t )

[qazplm135]

2. not much is going to get done.

Until Americans start realizing that divided government (and the filibuster means we still have divided government) does nothing for them, and they need to give one party (ours of course) complete control for awhile to get anything done, not much will get done.

The problem is too many Americans don't want anything to be done, because it might help "the wrong people" in their minds.

[bigtree]

3. filibuster problems, right from the start

...should never take the prospect of ending it off the table

Realize that if they compromise down from $1400. additional proposed were fucked.

[bearsfootball516]

7. I think Joe Manchin came out and said he would vote against ending the filibuster.

And without him, we're at 49.

[Turbineguy]

4. There's an easy solution for that.

Biden switches to the republican party for a few days.

[Kid Berwyn]

5. Once the traitors are weeded out, there won't be as much opposition.

“I have in my hand list of 140 traitors sitting in the House if Representatives...!“

[bullimiami]

6. They passed their huge giveaway using reconciliation. No? Back at ya.

[mitch96]

9. Right, just recind the 1%er tax cut and increase their tax rate to 90% and there is PLENTY of money.

[Vivienne235729]

12. I think that's a great idea!

[mitch96]

14. And this is nothing new. In the '50s and '60s the tax rate for millionaires was 91%. Now it's 43%

Even Billionaire Warren Buffet says he does not pay enough in taxes. He said his secretary pays more in tax then him... uff
m

[eleny]

8. Slip in a tax cut for the 1% amendment

[Azathoth]

10. I hate to say it, but the minimum wage hike may have to go

A lot of the businesses that are on the edge of existence are precisely the ones that pay less than $15 an hour. The stimulus value of a minimum wage hike right now seems dubious to me. In these times, a lot of people would prefer to have a secure full-time job at lower salary than be bumped down to part-time work or unemployment. Once the economy starts rebounding, the minimum wage hike makes sense as it will force the profits out into the economy, but first there have to be profits to force out.

I like that Biden went big to open negotiations, but I'm not sure we should waste our reconciliation bullet on a bill that many moderate GOPers already secretly want to support.

[JonLP24]

17. Biden campaigned on it and defended the $15 minimum wage in a debate

He made a good argument too.

It was a concession he made to draw support from Sanders voters for the general election.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

11. This is what the Repugs did when Obama tried to fix Dubya's financial mess.

Economists were pretty much in agreement with how much money needed to be pumped directly into the economy to get it back on track. The GOP fought tooth-and-nail to prevent anything to be done to help, but finally agreed to a package which was two-thirds the amount Obama proposed. And they only did that if half the benefit was in the form of tax breaks for corporations.

I can't remember the exact dollar amounts, but that's pretty much how it came down. As Turtleboy said, "We're not going to give Obama a win."

[Wicked Blue]

13. That's right nt

[BlueIdaho]

15. People are starving, people are being turned out of their homes.

Businesses are closing, and the overall economy is taking a nose dive. Add to that an out of control pandemic firestorm and we have one of the largest disasters in American history. What the hell are republicans waiting for?

[MissMillie]

16. The way to frame this

1) We can give uber-rich people and corporations a big tax cut and trust that it will "trickle-down," which will inevitably lead to them doing what they always do... stock re-purchases and overseas bank accounts

OR

2) we can put the same money in the pockets of the people who NEED the money (those who have lost their small businesses, lost their jobs, etc) and KNOW that those people are going to spend it. When THEY spend the money, it stimulates the economy and makes things better for everybody. (This has the added benefit of being HUMANE.)

If the top 1% wants a break on their taxes, they'll have to settle for tax INCENTIVES. We don't trust you to do te right thing--because you never do.

Any business that has full-time workers that are eligible for food stamps or housing assistance shouldn't be getting a tax cut. Either pay your employees, or pay the taxes.