relief bill – Cincy Link https://cincylink.com Explore Cincy Sat, 09 Oct 2021 05:08:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cincylink.com/pub/content/uploads/sites/27/2020/03/apple-touch-icon-precomposed-100x100.png relief bill – Cincy Link https://cincylink.com 32 32 Concerns over what got stuffed into the stimulus bill and what is missing https://cincylink.com/2021/10/09/concerns-over-what-got-stuffed-into-the-stimulus-bill-and-what-is-missing/ https://cincylink.com/2021/10/09/concerns-over-what-got-stuffed-into-the-stimulus-bill-and-what-is-missing/#respond Sat, 09 Oct 2021 05:08:30 +0000 https://cincylink.com/?p=24119

The latest stimulus package passed by Congress is one of the longest bills to be pushed so quickly through the Senate and the House. The final bill was handed to lawmakers just hours before they voted on it.

“This bill is too long, too complicated,” said Thea Lee, president of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

EPI expects the $900-billion package will provide an instant jolt to our economy by extending unemployment benefits and enhancing them by $300 a week. It also includes a $600 stimulus check for millions of Americans and $25 billion for housing and eviction protection.

There are hundreds of billions of dollars for Paycheck Protection Program loans, intended for small businesses. However, those touted benefits only take up a couple of pages in the nearly 5,600-page bill.

"There are things in there that don’t belong in there,” said Lee.

In fact, as more experts and government watchdog organizations start to sift through the stimulus bill, which was also tied to an ominous spending bill, the list of non-pandemic related funding and measures grows.

“Some of it is things like horse-racing commissions [funding] and so on, but some of it shouldn’t be in there because it is helping either people or businesses that don’t need the help,” Lee explained.

For example, there’s a tax break on alcohol, and Lee pointed out the alcohol industry is one that has actually thrived during the pandemic. Legislators also included a tax break for what has been dubbed the Three Martini Lunch.

“It’s a deduction for business people who are having expensive lunches out. That has been extended in this bill,” said Lee. "That is not the best way, the most targeted way to help the restaurant industry.”

For all of the non-pandemic-related measures squeezed into this latest deal, there is a surprise in what did not make it in.

“The most important thing that is not in the stimulus bill is aid to state and local governments,” said Lee. "If they don’t get enough aid from the federal government, they will have to start laying off workers.”

Another thing not in the stimulus bill was an extension on the student loan payment pause. Many student loan borrowers will have to start repaying loans in January and interest will begin accruing again.

There is also, notably, no transparency requirement tied to small business PPP loans. Watchdog organizations, like U.S. Public Interest Research Group, have been calling for it for months, given all the issues seen with the first round of PPP loan funding.

"The Department of Justice has actually indicted 57 people so far from stealing over $175 million from the PPP loan program,” said RJ Cross with U.S. PIRG.

Also, lawsuits filed by several news organizations forced the Small Business Administration to reveal more names of companies that have received the forgivable loans. The result has shown that most of the PPP loans issued in the first round, more than $250 billion, went to larger than intended business. The smallest businesses, in which the loans were intended for, actually struggled to get the funding they needed.

U.S. PIRG has fought for months to get transparency requirements tied to PPP loan money to prevent further fraud and corruption in the program, and the group was surprised that was not included in this latest stimulus package.

“If folks are very clear on the fact that information about their loans, their application, and their businesses will be made public, it helps to deter a lot of fraudsters in the beginning,” Cross added. “Congress largely squandered that opportunity to strengthen those measures that would increase public trust in the PPP program.”

Congress is expected to immediately begin working on yet another stimulus bill in January and could address some of the concerns with this latest bill.

"I hope that Congress can come back in 2021 and take up the elements that are missing from this bill,” said Lee.




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]]> https://cincylink.com/2021/10/09/concerns-over-what-got-stuffed-into-the-stimulus-bill-and-what-is-missing/feed/ 0 House approves President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill https://cincylink.com/2021/07/21/house-approves-president-bidens-1-9-trillion-covid-19-relief-bill/ https://cincylink.com/2021/07/21/house-approves-president-bidens-1-9-trillion-covid-19-relief-bill/#respond Wed, 21 Jul 2021 04:48:25 +0000 https://cincylink.com/?p=37177

Congress delivered final approval Wednesday on a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, as President Joe Biden and Democrats scored a major triumph for the party’s priorities and showcased the unity they’ll need to forge future victories.The House approved the 628-page measure on a near party-line vote 220-211. It now heads to Biden’s desk for his signature. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the president intends to sign the measure Friday afternoon.The measure provides up to $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, extended emergency unemployment benefits and hundreds of billions for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, schools, state and local governments and ailing industries from airlines to concert halls. There is aid for farmers of color and pension systems, and subsidies for consumers buying health insurance and states expanding Medicaid coverage for lower earners.This is a breaking update. Check back for details. Original story below:Congress sped toward final approval Wednesday of a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, as President Joe Biden and Democrats neared a major triumph for the party’s priorities and showcased the unity they’ll need to forge future victories.The House was on track to use a virtual party-line vote to approve the 628-page measure, which represents Democrats' effort to bridle the catastrophic pandemic and revive the enfeebled economy. Four days after the Senate passed the measure over unanimous Republican opposition, GOP House counterparts were poised to do the same for a bill they've characterized as bloated, crammed with liberal policies and heedless of signs the dual crises are easing.Democrats rejected those complaints.“I call upon my Republican colleagues to stop their March madness and show some compassion for their constituents who are less than wealthy," said No. 3 House Democratic leader James Clyburn of South Carolina as the House debated the legislation.For Biden and Democrats, the bill is essentially a canvas on which they've painted their core beliefs — that government programs can be a benefit, not a bane, to millions of people and that spending huge sums on such efforts can be a cure, not a curse. The measure so closely tracks Democrats' priorities that several rank it with the top achievements of their careers, and despite their slender congressional majorities there was never real suspense over its fate.They were also empowered by three dynamics: their unfettered control of the White House and Congress, polls showing robust support for Biden's approach and a moment when most voters care little that the national debt is soaring toward a stratospheric $22 trillion. Neither party seems much troubled by surging red ink, either, except when the other is using it to finance its priorities, be they Democratic spending or GOP tax cuts.Republicans noted that they've overwhelmingly supported five previous relief bills Congress has approved since the pandemic struck a year ago — when divided government under then-President Donald Trump forced the parties to negotiate. They said this one, written solely by Democrats, was a bridge too far.“This isn't a rescue bill, it isn't a relief bill. It's a laundry list of left-wing priorities that predate the pandemic," said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.A dominant feature of the bill is initiatives making it one of the biggest federal thrusts in years to assist lower- and middle-income families. Included are expanded tax credits over the next year for children, child care and family leave plus spending for renters, feeding programs and people's utility bills.The measure provides up to $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, extended emergency unemployment benefits and hundreds of billions for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, schools, state and local governments and ailing industries from airlines to concert halls. There is aid for farmers of color and pension systems, and subsidies for consumers buying health insurance and states expanding Medicaid coverage for lower earners.The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found last week that 70% of Americans back Biden’s response to the virus, including a hefty 44% of Republicans.Yet the bill's pathway has underscored Democrats' challenges as they seek to build a legislative record to persuade voters to keep them running Congress in next year's elections.Democrats control the Senate, split 50-50, only because Vice President Kamala Harris gives them the winning vote in tied roll calls. They have just a 10-vote advantage in the House.That's almost no wiggle room for a party that ranges from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on the conservative side to progressives like Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.Progressives had to swallow big concessions in the bill to solidify moderate support. The most painful was dropping the House-approved federal minimum-wage increase to $15 hourly by 2025.Moderates forced tightened eligibility for the $1,400 stimulus checks, now phased out completely for individuals earning $80,000 and couples making $160,000. The House's initial extension of the soon-to-end $400 weekly emergency jobless payments, paid on top of state benefits, was trimmed by the Senate to $300 and will now halt in early September.Manchin was a leading holdout and in the middle of talks that resulted in curbing all of those initiatives.The independent Tax Policy Center said that the Senate-passed bill would give almost 70% of this year's tax breaks to households earning $91,000 or less. In contrast, the Trump-era GOP tax bill gave nearly half its 2018 reductions to the top 5% of households earning around $308,000, said the research center, which is run by the liberal-leaning Urban Institute and Brookings Institution.Yet keeping Democrats united won't get easier as the party tries advancing the rest of its agenda. There are fault lines within the party over priorities like immigration, health care and taxes.At some point it seems likely that progressives will draw their own lines in the sand. They are already demanding that the party revisit the minimum-wage boost, and amid all this Republicans are already demonstrating they are ready to pounce.The American Action Network, tied to House GOP leaders, said it's launched digital ads in mostly moderate districts calling the relief bill “a freight train of frivolous spending to bankroll their liberal cronies.”The bill passed the Senate under budget rules that prevented Republicans from launching filibusters, which require 60 votes for most measures. That process won't be available for much legislation moving forward, but either way any Democratic Senate defections will make most bills there non-starters.

WASHINGTON —

Congress delivered final approval Wednesday on a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, as President Joe Biden and Democrats scored a major triumph for the party’s priorities and showcased the unity they’ll need to forge future victories.

The House approved the 628-page measure on a near party-line vote 220-211. It now heads to Biden’s desk for his signature. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the president intends to sign the measure Friday afternoon.

The measure provides up to $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, extended emergency unemployment benefits and hundreds of billions for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, schools, state and local governments and ailing industries from airlines to concert halls. There is aid for farmers of color and pension systems, and subsidies for consumers buying health insurance and states expanding Medicaid coverage for lower earners.

This is a breaking update. Check back for details. Original story below:

Congress sped toward final approval Wednesday of a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, as President Joe Biden and Democrats neared a major triumph for the party’s priorities and showcased the unity they’ll need to forge future victories.

The House was on track to use a virtual party-line vote to approve the 628-page measure, which represents Democrats' effort to bridle the catastrophic pandemic and revive the enfeebled economy. Four days after the Senate passed the measure over unanimous Republican opposition, GOP House counterparts were poised to do the same for a bill they've characterized as bloated, crammed with liberal policies and heedless of signs the dual crises are easing.

Democrats rejected those complaints.

“I call upon my Republican colleagues to stop their March madness and show some compassion for their constituents who are less than wealthy," said No. 3 House Democratic leader James Clyburn of South Carolina as the House debated the legislation.

For Biden and Democrats, the bill is essentially a canvas on which they've painted their core beliefs — that government programs can be a benefit, not a bane, to millions of people and that spending huge sums on such efforts can be a cure, not a curse. The measure so closely tracks Democrats' priorities that several rank it with the top achievements of their careers, and despite their slender congressional majorities there was never real suspense over its fate.

They were also empowered by three dynamics: their unfettered control of the White House and Congress, polls showing robust support for Biden's approach and a moment when most voters care little that the national debt is soaring toward a stratospheric $22 trillion. Neither party seems much troubled by surging red ink, either, except when the other is using it to finance its priorities, be they Democratic spending or GOP tax cuts.

Republicans noted that they've overwhelmingly supported five previous relief bills Congress has approved since the pandemic struck a year ago — when divided government under then-President Donald Trump forced the parties to negotiate. They said this one, written solely by Democrats, was a bridge too far.

“This isn't a rescue bill, it isn't a relief bill. It's a laundry list of left-wing priorities that predate the pandemic," said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.

A dominant feature of the bill is initiatives making it one of the biggest federal thrusts in years to assist lower- and middle-income families. Included are expanded tax credits over the next year for children, child care and family leave plus spending for renters, feeding programs and people's utility bills.

The measure provides up to $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, extended emergency unemployment benefits and hundreds of billions for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, schools, state and local governments and ailing industries from airlines to concert halls. There is aid for farmers of color and pension systems, and subsidies for consumers buying health insurance and states expanding Medicaid coverage for lower earners.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found last week that 70% of Americans back Biden’s response to the virus, including a hefty 44% of Republicans.

Yet the bill's pathway has underscored Democrats' challenges as they seek to build a legislative record to persuade voters to keep them running Congress in next year's elections.

Democrats control the Senate, split 50-50, only because Vice President Kamala Harris gives them the winning vote in tied roll calls. They have just a 10-vote advantage in the House.

That's almost no wiggle room for a party that ranges from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on the conservative side to progressives like Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Progressives had to swallow big concessions in the bill to solidify moderate support. The most painful was dropping the House-approved federal minimum-wage increase to $15 hourly by 2025.

Moderates forced tightened eligibility for the $1,400 stimulus checks, now phased out completely for individuals earning $80,000 and couples making $160,000. The House's initial extension of the soon-to-end $400 weekly emergency jobless payments, paid on top of state benefits, was trimmed by the Senate to $300 and will now halt in early September.

Manchin was a leading holdout and in the middle of talks that resulted in curbing all of those initiatives.

The independent Tax Policy Center said that the Senate-passed bill would give almost 70% of this year's tax breaks to households earning $91,000 or less. In contrast, the Trump-era GOP tax bill gave nearly half its 2018 reductions to the top 5% of households earning around $308,000, said the research center, which is run by the liberal-leaning Urban Institute and Brookings Institution.

Yet keeping Democrats united won't get easier as the party tries advancing the rest of its agenda. There are fault lines within the party over priorities like immigration, health care and taxes.

At some point it seems likely that progressives will draw their own lines in the sand. They are already demanding that the party revisit the minimum-wage boost, and amid all this Republicans are already demonstrating they are ready to pounce.

The American Action Network, tied to House GOP leaders, said it's launched digital ads in mostly moderate districts calling the relief bill “a freight train of frivolous spending to bankroll their liberal cronies.”

The bill passed the Senate under budget rules that prevented Republicans from launching filibusters, which require 60 votes for most measures. That process won't be available for much legislation moving forward, but either way any Democratic Senate defections will make most bills there non-starters.


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]]> https://cincylink.com/2021/07/21/house-approves-president-bidens-1-9-trillion-covid-19-relief-bill/feed/ 0 Tucker shreds AOC for demanding relief money go to illegal immigrants https://cincylink.com/2020/03/27/tucker-shreds-aoc-for-demanding-relief-money-go-to-illegal-immigrants/ https://cincylink.com/2020/03/27/tucker-shreds-aoc-for-demanding-relief-money-go-to-illegal-immigrants/#respond Sat, 28 Mar 2020 01:45:00 +0000 https://cincylink.com/tucker-shreds-aoc-for-demanding-relief-money-go-to-illegal-immigrants/

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounces the massive coronavirus economic stimulus bill, because it leaves out illegal immigrants. #FoxNews #Tucker

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]]> https://cincylink.com/2020/03/27/tucker-shreds-aoc-for-demanding-relief-money-go-to-illegal-immigrants/feed/ 0 McCarthy rips Pelosi for holding up relief bill while millions lost jobs https://cincylink.com/2020/03/26/mccarthy-rips-pelosi-for-holding-up-relief-bill-while-millions-lost-jobs/ https://cincylink.com/2020/03/26/mccarthy-rips-pelosi-for-holding-up-relief-bill-while-millions-lost-jobs/#respond Fri, 27 Mar 2020 03:30:02 +0000 https://cincylink.com/mccarthy-rips-pelosi-for-holding-up-relief-bill-while-millions-lost-jobs/

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did get $24 million for the Kennedy Center included in the $2.2 trillion relief package aimed at helping Americans amid the COVID-19 crisis, says House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. #FoxNews #IngrahamAngle

FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most-watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.

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]]> https://cincylink.com/2020/03/26/mccarthy-rips-pelosi-for-holding-up-relief-bill-while-millions-lost-jobs/feed/ 0 Rep Collins previews the House's vote on the coronavirus stimulus bill https://cincylink.com/2020/03/26/rep-collins-previews-the-houses-vote-on-the-coronavirus-stimulus-bill/ https://cincylink.com/2020/03/26/rep-collins-previews-the-houses-vote-on-the-coronavirus-stimulus-bill/#respond Thu, 26 Mar 2020 12:25:33 +0000 https://cincylink.com/rep-collins-previews-the-houses-vote-on-the-coronavirus-stimulus-bill/

Republican Rep. Doug Collins joins 'Fox & Friends' after completing quarantine in Georgia.

FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.

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Watch more Fox News Video:
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