Senate Democrats announce deal on unemployment insurance, allowing Biden bill to move forward
Source: Washington Post
Senate Democratic leaders reached an agreement over unemployment benefits with moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) late Friday, ending a nine-hour stand-off that threatened to derail action on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill. The agreement would extend the existing $300 weekly unemployment benefit through Sept. 6, as well as provide tax relief on benefits for households making under $150,000.
“The President has made it clear we will have enough vaccines for every American by the end of May and I am confident the economic recovery will follow. We have reached a compromise that enables the economy to rebound quickly while also protecting those receiving unemployment benefits from being hit with unexpected tax bill next year,” Manchin said in a statement. "Those making less than $150,000 and receiving unemployment will be eligible for a $10,200 tax break. Unemployment benefits will be extended through the end of August.”
The deal came after action on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill screeched to a halt Friday as an earlier 11th-hour compromise on unemployment insurance benefits appeared to unravel, leaving the entire effort in limbo and raising questions about Democrats’ ability to govern with a 50-50 Senate. A day that began with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) vowing passage of Biden’s first major legislative initiative was thrown into uncertainty, leaving Republicans to practically mock the Democrats’ predicament.
Attention centered on moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III (W.Va.), with Republicans trying to win him over to support an unemployment insurance amendment they hoped to offer — instead of an alternative negotiated by Democratic leaders and endorsed by the White House. “No comments, no comments, no comments!” Manchin told reporters who pursued him through the Capitol late Friday after hours of uncertainty, adding: “Good negotiations should be, should be good.”
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/03/05/biden-stimulus-senate-checks-vote/
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Biden and/or Schumer need to start opposing all earmarks for WV when Manchin goes off the rails.
unfuckingbelievable!! 
A bill that provides significantly less aid to Americans that desperately need it -- and we will only have ourselves for them to blame.
Plus, any hopes that Biden will bring about any sort of significant change die with this deal, since it's clear that President Manchin will be calling the tune on absolutely everything for the next two years. And I doubt we'll find the melody to our liking, nor the result of the next election after the song is done.
and take over the Committee Chairs. Otherwise this bill would have come over from the House and gone wherever Turtle threw the other 400 House bills that would die on the vine, and he did such all the way up until February 3rd, 2021, when they finally signed off on the new Senate Committee composition, Leadership positions, and Committee chairs.
I wish we could have taken Susan Collins' seat but we didn't. I wish that we could have taken Thom Tillis' seat, but we didn't. I wish the $1 billion plus that Jaime Harrison raised and spent to take Lindsey Graham's seat had been enough, but it wasn't. I wish Doug Jones hadn't lost, but he did. 
All I said was none of the new Democratic senators (one of them being mine) aren't holding up the bill.
I have to hand it to Van Holland for shortening the debate time. Republicans don't debate. They do what they're told by whatever crazy shit fox news is spewing that day. We should take advantage of every second they're lazy asses don't show up. And, if Manchin insists on keeping the filibuster, Dems should require a real filibuster.
The problem I have with Democrats breaking ranks isn't that I don't think they don't have something relevant to say, it's the media spin and the constant noise from half of Americans, who are just flat out dumb. In other words, exactly what you said. Well maybe not the Americans are dumb part. 
What I learned from history class was the great compromises kept the country moving forward. What I learned from reading volumes of history was nearly every compromise enriched white men and brought death and misery to everyone else. Politics is beyond messy. It's lethal.
get majority thanks to Kamala's tie-breaking vote Dems would not have passed this (slightly watered down) bill. At the end of the day the important thing is struggling middle class families will receive help. Biden & Dems can now put a +1 in their list of 1st 100 days accomplishments 
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Don't forget the usual set who HAVE broken ranks a few percent of the time. You know the names -
Susan Collins
Lisa Murkowski
Mitt Romney
And on occasion these couple will rotate in -
Pat Toomey
Rob Portman
What will be instructive is that since the party numbers are now tied (with the 2 Indies caucusing with Ds), how much they will still "buck their party for attention". 
