Thanks to Republicans, stimulus checks are cut in half and come very late
At long last, Congress is has passed a $900 billion follow-up COVID relief bill. The last such legislation, the CARES Act, was passed and signed into law in March, and totaled $2.2 trillion. The CARES Act featured, among other things, “stimulus” payments to many individuals of up to $1200, loans to “small” businesses (with up to 500 employees), and additional unemployment benefits for three months. By mid-May, House Democrats had already passed a follow-up bill, the HEROES Act, often referred to as a “second stimulus,” to provide more assistance as the initial CARES Act relief was running out for almost everyone. However, as with most House legislation, the HEROES Act has languished on Republican U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s desk all this time.
Finally and very late, McConnell and Republican Senators have decided to move forward with new COVID relief legislation. The agreement between Democrats and Republicans provides for the following:
–direct “stimulus” payment checks of up to $600 per adult and child
–further loans to small businesses
–$300 per week in extra unemployment benefits
–mere one-month extension on eviction moratorium
–funding for COVID vaccine distribution, testing contact tracing
–expanded tax deductibility for business meals, a/k/a the “Three Martini Lunch” provision, sought by Donald Trump and Republicans
What did not make it into the legislation were some things sought by Republicans, such as widespread corporate immunity from legal liability, and some things sought by Democrats, such as a larger ($1200) direct stimulus payment, and aid to state and local governments to offset things like lost tax revenues due to decreased tourism. But note the difference in which party sought what.
Many Democrats rightfully have complained that this legislation is too little, too late. For example, Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy explained just a few of the differences between Democrats and Republicans on this bill:
If Democrats controlled the Senate:
– the cash payments would be $1200 not $600
– there would be $175 billion, not $25 billion, to help people pay the rent
– there would be flexible money for states and cities and bonus checks for frontline workersLet’s win Georgia.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 21, 2020
However, the cold hard reality is that Democrats did not want to get to Christmas without much needed relief for Americans hard hit by Donald Trump’s criminally negligent response to COVID, and Republicans seemed to be okay with providing no relief at all. In that context, the Democrats did quite well here. The difference is due in part to Democratic values (“we’re in this together”) versus Republican values (“you’re on your own” unless you’re wealthy or a big corporation). Democratic lawmakers also are obviously much more responsive to the needs of everyday Americans, who overwhelmingly supported more government relief from the Coronavirus pandemic.
Therefore, if this COVID stimulus bill seems like it’s too late and inadequate, that is not the fault of “Congress,” “Washington,” “both sides” or a “stalemate” between them. It’s the fault of Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump and the Republicans, who dragged their feet for many months on providing relief to Americans, while downplaying the Coronavirus itself throughout 2020.
Photo by frankieleon, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/JDVOLP
