We don't "need" it either, but I know a lot of people DO need it, desperately. There should definitely be a needs assessment but apparently that's too much to ask. They need to stop trying to insert so much crap into a bill that has nothing to do with stimulus and get on with it. And "a vape shop???" Yeah, that's where I'd donate my money...not.
We really don't care about the tax, as long as we get the money he is talking about. Will never/ever turn away money!
Never said that there shouldn't be a check. Sayin the same thing I said about the first one. They need a sharper pencil. And as far as the vape shop, this is a small town, Beth, we are helping our friends and neighbors. Carman runs the diner, we have known her for 35 years, our kids played sports together, one of her daughters still hangs out with my oldest. I worked with her husband at the depot.for a few years. The hairdresser and Vape about the same deal, young couple trying to start businesses in a small town. I also knew Kyle's Dad from the Depot. Good hardworking family.
We "distributed" our stimulus money within our own family. Grandson lost his job and needed car repairs, etc. Daughter's salon was closed due to quarantine in Austin so we helped with her remodeling expenses to reopen.
Looks like an agreement has been worked out. https://www.yahoo.com/news/democrats-republicans-reach-900bn-covid-160410854.html Sun, December 20, 2020, 2:48 PM PST After nearly nine months of mostly stalled negotiations and bickering, Democratic and Republican congressional leaders have finally reached agreement on another sweeping Covid relief package. The deal, worth an initial estimate of around $900bn, is the eleventh-hour culmination of talks that abruptly intensified last week between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on one side and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, on the other. “For the information of all senators and more importantly for the American people, we can finally report what our nation has needed to hear for a very long time: More help is on the way,” Mr McConnell announced on the Senate floor on Sunday. Lawmakers have “finalised an agreement,” the majority leader said. The bill includes another round of direct payments to most Americans, this time worth only $600 instead of the $1,200 taxpayers received in the spring. The House is expected to vote first on Sunday, with the Senate following either late Sunday evening or early on Monday.
I don't have all the details, but the linked article says this: Not included in the Covid package agreed to on Sunday are any provisions addressing Democrats’ and Republicans’ top respective priorities. Since April, Democrats have called for an injection of hundreds of billions of dollars for states and localities to help those governments on the frontlines of the pandemic response. Mr McConnell has been equally insistent on including a legal shield for businesses, health care providers, and school systems against liability lawsuits related to Covid exposure.
Here is what is in the original bill made by Congress. Besides helping out a lot of the large companies, there is something like several million dollars for “gender studies” in Pakistan (or somewhere like that). This is supposed to be a covid-relief bill, but it looks like a foreign aid package instead. However, President Trump is refusing to accept this bill, and said he wants at least $2,000 per person and not the insignificant $600 amount that congress thought was fine for the American citizens. This would not even pay a month’s rent for most people, let alone buy groceries and make car payments. If the president signs the bill, he will be blamed for people only getting the $600 amount, and if he does not sign it, and holds out for the larger amount, then they will blame him for holding up the stimulus checks.
The only blaming going on will be between Republicans. This is a gift for Democrats. They've been pushing for the $2000 since May. Pelosi already tweeted that she has an amendment to the bill written to introduce in the House Thursday. Most have left town for vacation. It would pass the House by unanimous consent, but there will be at least one Republican who will object, meaning they will all have to be called back to Washington first. The Senate will be put in a terrible bind if they don't support the president. That Republican who calls them back would be blamed for holding up the checks. The two Democratic candidates for Senate in Georgia are already on board. Ossoff tweeted "$2000 checks now!" The two Republican candidates will now have to answer whether they are with the president, or with the McConnell bill. Of course all this may change because Mr. Trump may change his mind, if he hasn't already. But the damage is done, as far as Republicans are concerned.
In his speech last night Trump listed all the garbage in the bill and sounded rather ticked that billions were being sent to other countries instead of concentrating on American citizens. Also, in his speech he made it very clear who has been holding up the stimulus for the last few months by adding all the pork into the bill. He did tell congress to get it straightened out but it could go for a pocket veto unless Pelosi calls the House back from Christmas break and from what I heard this morning, she’s supposedly going to do that.
Don’t count your money yet. If all the pork isn’t removed from the omnibus bill I doubt seriously if there will be anything forthcoming for a while yet.
The president apparently isn't aware that there are two parts to the bill---the Covid relief package, and the overall spending bill which keeps the government running. The pork he is referring to is in the omnibus spending part, not the Covid relief part. If the bill isn't passed, the government will shut down on December 29th, unless they pass another extension. He probably couldn't care less if there is another shutdown, but I'll bet he signs any bill that passes if they go for his $2000 checks, because he can claim credit for something. This puts the pressure on the Republicans in the Senate to pass the bill. If the government shuts down, AND no Covid relief, it will look bad for the two Republican candidates in Georgia, and McConnell may lose the Senate. There are a lot of possibilities. And the president is known to change his mind from minute to minute. This will be interesting.
That's a bit like saying that if you buy a car and the transmission drops off before you get the car home, you shouldn't complain because you need to realize that there are multiple parts to a car. However many parts you might want to split the bill into in order to justify the crap that's in it, it's still one bill, and they are marketing it as a COVID Relief bill. Unless it's amended, it all passes or it all doesn't pass.
The ironic part... If the president continues to claim he will not accept the bill as is, the Democrats can legitimately campaign in Georgia supporting the $2000 checks and be on the side of the president. This really puts the Republicans in an difficult position. I imagine the president will cave eventually and sign the original bill, but if he doesn't, it seems like he's just sticking it to the Republicans, to get even, especially McConnell, for accepting the results of the Electoral College. I'm enjoying this especially, because it is so straightforward. Usually such wrangling is too complicated to explain or to understand. I hope the bill passes with the $2000 amount, and soon, but too many things would have to fall into place just right.