Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Congress struggles to pass coronavirus bill as COVID-19 cases grow

  • COVID-19
  • by Ana Radelat
  • March 23, 2020
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

C-SPAN

Sen.. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on the Senate floor Monday.

Washington – Congressional Republicans and Democrats on Monday continued to argue over a massive new coronavirus relief package that would send $1,200 checks to many Americans, bolster the unemployment insurance system and disburse a broad range of emergency funds and loans to businesses.

Monday afternoon, for the second time in 24 hours, Democrats blocked an attempt to move the bill forward on a 49-46 partisan vote. Sixty votes were needed and reaching that goal is harder for Republicans a five GOP senators are in self-isolation and can’t vote.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. said the  “no” votes on the procedural motion amounted to “mindless obstruction” and Democrats were “fiddling around while the public is waiting for us to act.

“The American people have had enough with this nonsense,” he said.

Democrats say the bill in question, a GOP proposal, does not provide enough money for individuals, states and hospitals and fails to put enough restrictions on coronavirus-hit industries, like the airlines, that will be able to borrow billions dollars from the federal government.

“It may make a lot of people rich, but it doesn’t have the resources in it today to take care of the most vulnerable in this country,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy in a speech on the Senate floor.

But as the stock market fell again on Monday and the number of COVID-19 cases grew, there was still some optimism a deal could be reached, even as some senators clashed angrily over delays in voting for the massive bill.

“I’m very, very hopeful,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., “There is a dramatic, urgent, imperative like nothing before in our lifetimes.”

Murphy said “I don’t think the differences are so big that they can’t be resolved in the next couple of hours.”

But as of late Monday, no agreement had been reached although some lawmakers, and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, indicated some progress had been made.

The GOP bill Senate Democrats have yet to embrace — whose total cost may be as much as $2 trillion before a final deal is struck — is aimed at sending billions of federal dollars to individuals and businesses to try to keep the U.S. economy from collapsing.

The Senate bill would establish $500 billion in loans and loan guarantees to businesses, states, and cities, and would appropriate $350 billion for small businesses.

It would also send $1,200 checks to many Americans, and $500 to each of their children. Those who earn $75,000 or less a year would get the full amount of money. But payments would be smaller for those earning more than that and cut off completely for those whose annual incomes are $99,000 or more.

Americans who earn too little to pay federal income tax last year — the nation’s poorest residents –would receive only $600 under the GOP plan.

The Republican bill, drafted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would also provide about $100 billion for hospitals and about $250 billion to beef up state unemployment insurance programs. Those previously ineligible to file for unemployment, including individual contractors like Uber drivers and gig economy workers, would be able to receive unemployment.

Investment distributions postponed

Older Americans who are subject to mandatory minimum distributions from their retirement accounts would be able to keep their capital invested instead of being forced to cash out at a time when the stock market has plummeted, and the bill would waive penalties for coronavirus-related early distributions from 401(k)s and IRA’s.

Since doctors need relief, nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants will be able to prescribe home health services.

And employers would be able to delay the payment of their 2020 payroll taxes until 2021 and 2022, leading to approximately $300 billion of extra cash flow for businesses.

It would be the largest rescue ever attempted by Congress, dwarfing legislation passed during the financial crisis of 2008.

But Blumenthal and Murphy say the legislation’s focus is misplaced.

“Our goal is families and workers first and this Republican bill fails to give them priority,” Murphy said.

One sticking point is the bill would provide low-interest loans for states like Connecticut, instead of grants. “When you shortchange states… then you are not serious about stopping the virus,” Blumenthal said.

There are also Democratic concerns about an unprecedented $500 billion funding program of loans and loan guarantees proposed in the Republican bill.  Blumenthal and other Democrats call it a “slush fund” because the Treasury Department would have broad discretion over who receives the money.  If companies don’t lay off any workers, the loans would be forgiven.

There is little precedent for a program with a similar size and scope.

It would provide $50 billion for passenger airline companies, $8 billion for air cargo firms, and $17 billion for companies deemed critical to the U.S.’s national security. But it does not place many restrictions on this money.

“We want more transparency when loans are made,” Blumenthal said, including a prohibition on stock buy backs and a requirement that companies that receive help must not lay off their workers.

Blumenthal also said the bill’s aid to hospitals and medical centers, about $100 billion, is not enough. Democrats want to appropriate $250 billion.

“Hospitals have economic challenges,” Blumenthal said. “They are not doing elective surgery, their main source of revenue has disappeared. And they still need to meet their payroll.”

However, both sides are close on the unemployment and small business provisions of the bill, Blumenthal said.

He also said the $600 check limit on those who did not pay any taxes next year “is going to be changed.”

Meanwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Monday unveiled her own $ 2.5 trillion coronavirus package, which would increase money for individuals, place strings on corporate loans and address other concerns Democrats have about McConnell’s bill.

Maintaining proper social distance is apparently a challenge for members of the U.S. Senate as they vote on one procedural matter in the coronavirus relief package Monday.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Radelat Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Have a case of a COVID variant? No one is going to tell you
by Christina Jewett and JoNel Aleccia | Kaiser Health News and Rachana Pradhan

Federal rules around who can be told about the variant cases are confusing, and tests have not been approved.

CT teachers are expected to get vaccinated for COVID at local clinics, but other options could cause problems
by Dave Altimari

School employees could end up on two lists, which means some vaccine might go to waste, officials said.

Equity issues dominate hearing on Lamont’s marijuana bill
by Kelan Lyons and Mark Pazniokas

The administration's testimony took up the hearing's first five hours. More than 130 people are signed up to speak.

Black and Hispanic residents continue to be vaccinated against COVID at lower rates than white residents
by Kasturi Pananjady and Jenna Carlesso

Among those 65 and older, the rate of vaccination for white residents was 39%, compared to 21% for Black residents.

As mass vaccination centers take the lead in the COVID race, the push is on to reach the most vulnerable
by Dave Altimari

While mass vaccination sites have helped overall vaccination rates, they have not reached the state's most vulnerable populations.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Lamont’s new vaccination priorities are simple and smart
by Richard Davies

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s new age-eligibility vaccine plan is simple, smart and straightforward. The more complicated the rules are, the greater the chance of screw-ups and of well-connected people getting their shots before they should. The governor is doing a good job.

Opinion Gas pipeline will threaten water quality, wildlife and wetlands
by Susan Eastwood

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has granted tentative approval of the 401 water quality certification for the Pomfret to Killingly natural gas pipeline. I urge DEEP to deny the 401 certification, as the proposed pipeline would violate the Connecticut’s water quality standards, and the conditions in the draft certification fail to protect our streams, wetlands, and wildlife.

Opinion Connecticut and the other Connecticut. Which will endure?
by Ezra Kaprov

What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘Connecticut’? Possibly, you think of a 43-year-old Puerto Rican man who arrived here with his family following Hurricane Maria. He works full-time as a machinist at the Sikorsky plant, and he coaches a prizefighter on the side.

Opinion COVID-19 increases urgency for legislature to pass medical aid-in-dying law
by Dr. Gary Blick

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the profound tragedy of loved ones dying alone, in a hospital or nursing home, without the care and comfort of loved ones surrounding them. This pandemic also demonstrates the fragility of life, the limits of modern medicine to relieve suffering, and has magnified the systemic racial disparities in our healthcare system, resulting in higher hospitalization and death rates for people in communities of color. We must eradicate these disparities, so everyone has equal access to the full range of end-of-life care options.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO