‘Getting Rolled’: McConnell Was Outfoxed With His Own Playbook
Jabin Botsford/Pool via ReutersFor years, Democrats have watched Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell deploy ultra-partisan legislative tactics to outmaneuver them on everything from fiscal cliff negotiations to filling a Supreme Court seat.But this week, Senate Republicans may have gotten a taste of their own medicine—and it didn’t go down smoothly.On Wednesday, McConnell and 13 Republicans joined with all Democrats to pass a sweeping bill investing in U.S. high-tech manufacturing, a major
news.yahoo.comA Kentucky Democrat says solving the labor shortage is 'cultural' because young people now 'can make as much money being a barista as they can being an assembly-line worker'
Budget chair John Yarmuth says "so many things are changing right now in terms of the nature of work" but a solution may be three or four years away.
news.yahoo.comIn hunt for infrastructure deal, every Dem has leverage
In a crucial moment for Democrats, party leaders are hunting for a sweet spot that would satisfy their rival moderate and progressive wings on legislation to finance President Joe Biden’s multitrillion-dollar agenda of bolstering the economy and helping families. With virtually no votes to spare and saber rattling by both Democratic factions, leaders are finding their search for middle ground arduous — even though the president's push for infrastructure projects and family-centered initiatives is his top domestic priority. With Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., winning the spotlight this year for pulling his party rightward by issuing demands on crucial issues, plenty of centrists and liberals are now using that same playbook.
news.yahoo.comImpatient Democrats prepare to go-it-alone on infrastructure
Democratic leaders are laying the groundwork for a go-it-alone approach on President Joe Biden's big jobs and families infrastructure plan even as the White House continues negotiating with Republicans on a scaled-back $1 trillion proposal.
Biden's $1.9T rescue signed, and now things get tougher
Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Tough as it was for Democrats, passing President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package into law was the easy part. Biden’s signing of the American Rescue Plan on Thursday marks a milestone for his administration and for Democrats who have command of the House, Senate and White House for the first time in a decade. If Senate Republicans start blocking the legislation, Democrats are prepared to force them into long days and nights of dramatic floor filibusters, like the movie version in “Mr. The filibuster gives the minority enormous ability to halt action, and Senate Democrats used it plenty of times when they were out of power. Still, Biden's infrastructure package may be one bill that could win over Republican support.
Biden's $1.9T rescue signed, agenda now a slog in Congress
Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Tough as it was for Democrats, passing President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package into law was the easy part. If Senate Republicans start blocking the legislation, Democrats are prepared to force them into long days and nights of dramatic floor filibusters, like the movie version in “Mr. The filibuster gives the minority enormous ability to halt action, and Senate Democrats used it plenty of times when they were out of power. Still, Biden's infrastructure package may be one bill that could win over Republican support. Doubting bipartisanship will emerge, there is growing support among Democratic senators to do away with the filibuster if Republicans use it to block Biden's bills.
Congress OKs $1.9T virus relief bill in win for Biden, Dems
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., pose after signing the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill during an enrollment ceremony on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Washington. Ad“Help is here,” Biden tweeted moments after the roll call, which ended with applause from Democratic lawmakers. The measure addresses Democrats’ campaign promises and Biden’s top initial priority of easing a one-two punch that first hit the country a year ago. According to a CNN poll released Wednesday, the relief bill is backed by 61% of Americans, including nearly all Democrats, 58% of independents and 26% of Republicans. On the relief bill, progressives had to swallow big concessions to solidify moderate support.
What to know about unemployment benefits in the American Rescue Plan
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan is almost law — meaning additional unemployment benefits for millions of workers should soon be on the way. The Covid relief bill, passed Saturday by the Senate, extends jobless benefits through Labor Day and raises them by $300 a week. The issue is time-sensitive — millions of unemployed workers would lose their benefits after March 14 without another extension. "The American Rescue Plan will soon be signed into law and help will be on the way," Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., chair of the House Budget Committee, said Tuesday. Here's what unemployed workers need to know about the legislation.
cnbc.comDemocrats propose sweeping bill to curb presidential abuses
WASHINGTON – House Democrats on Wednesday proposed a bill to curb presidential abuses, a pitch to voters weeks ahead of Election Day as they try to defeat President Donald Trump, capture the Senate from Republicans and keep their House majority. Each of the bill’s provisions is a response to actions by Trump or his administration that Democrats see as abuses of presidential power. It builds on an elections and ethics reform package the House passed soon after Democrats reclaimed the majority in 2019. Congress has yet to send to the president any legislation to try to curb foreign election interference after Russia meddled on several fronts in the 2016 presidential contest. “The degradation of our democracy over the past 3 1/2 years is not the work of the president alone,'' Schiff said.