@ wrote:
Almost all legislation will need cooperation from Republicans because they require 60 votes in the Senate. There’s a narrow exception for fiscal related measures that can pass with a simple majority using the budget process, and Biden has two chances this year to use that so-called reconciliation process for items like his economic stimulus plan.
On other areas, the 60-vote requirement to cut off debate and proceed to a vote, necessitates getting GOP support, which will temper the more ambitious elements of Biden’s agenda, as well as the biggest hopes among progressives. . .
Democratic control makes a massive difference here. McConnell and the GOP had consistently opposed aid for state and local governments in stimulus negotiations last year, and Democrats will now be able to pass a package that includes that element. The Senate refused to vote on a House measure to boost stimulus checks to $2,000 from $600 last month, and that’s now likely to go ahead as well. Further unemployment assistance and health care measures are also in the cards.
Schumer said at a press briefing Wednesday that the $2,000 checks will be “one of the first things” the new Senate does.
@shoptastic wrote:
$1,400? What's that number from, Shopetal?@Shop-et-al wrote:
Keep the fourteen hundred bucks.
Latest news: [www.bloomberg.com]
Good...get it done!@ wrote:
President-elect Joe Biden on Friday called for trillions of dollars in immediate further fiscal support, including increased direct payments, after a surge in coronavirus cases caused U.S. payrolls to drop for the first time since April.
“The price tag will be high,” Biden said of his planned package in Wilmington, Delaware. He promised to lay out his proposals next Thursday, before taking office on Jan. 20. “It will be in the trillions of dollars”. . .
Biden made the call for new assistance -- including boosting stimulus checks to $2,000 -- after an unexpectedly poor December jobs report that reflected a plunge in restaurant employment. The 140,000 slump in payrolls highlighted how surging coronavirus infections are taking a greater toll on parts of the economy.
Latest Non-Farm Payroll report released today wasn't so good:
December came in at -143K (negative) jobs vs. +50K expected. It's the first time we've seen a decline in jobs creation since April 2020.[/quote
You are already getting $600 + $1400 more = $2000.
I haven't seen anything about $1,400, so we'll have to see.@Shop-et-al wrote:
After all, the fed might have to mete out money carefully for a few years.
Speaking of means, there should be a means test for all this money.
If you're asking whether we should expect more stimulus checks...possibly.@Shop-et-al wrote:
Job one? $1400.
This has been one of the saddest aspects of the pandemic economy.@ wrote:
The pandemic has been an apocalyptic event for small businesses. The number of small businesses in the US has dropped by 29% since January and revenue has plunged by 31.9% over the same period. . .
Prior to the pandemic, roughly half of small businesses only had enough cash to stay in business for 27 days if they stopped bringing in money, according to a JPMorgan Chase Institute analysis. A quarter had a cash buffer that would last them fewer than 13 days. . .
The fact that the largest companies in America thrived in a year marred by pandemic is an uncomfortable reality of 2020. The S&P 500 is up nearly 16% in 2020. Amazon shares are up 73%, Walmart's shares increased by 22%, and McDonald's are up 7%. . .
Oh, how generous.@ wrote:
‘It Was a Joke’: Some Small Businesses Got $1 Relief Loans
Sole proprietors were eligible for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program only if they were profitable, but many got tiny loans because of the way rules were written.
And then there were the roughly 300 business that received loans of $99 or less.
Judith Less, who runs a thrift shop in New Jersey, got $27. Nikki Smith, a baker and caterer in Oregon, collected $96. A.J. Burton, the founder of a record label in Arkansas, got $78. And Susana Dommar, a chiropractor in Texas, received a loan for just $1.
Stephanie Ackerman, a self-employed college admissions consultant, was shocked when her loan deposit, for $13, showed up in her bank account.
Trump's Dec. $900B stimulus bill had $284B in PPP loans (down from the March 2020 $521B allocation ).@1forum1 wrote:
What about the small businesses that were screwed?
The following part is worrisome:@ wrote:
President Joe Biden signed two executive orders on Friday, one of which would increase federal food assistance and streamline the delivery of stimulus checks, as the president attempts to stabilize the economy without congressional assistance amid the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. . .
Mr. Biden also issued a second executive order to improve collecting bargaining power and protections for federal workers, and direct the Office of Personnel Management to develop recommendations to increase the minimum wage for federal employees to $15 per hour.
As noted in an article earlier on this thread page, the Dems. winning the Georgia run-offs means the Biden administration doesn't need a bipartisan majority in the Senate (60 votes) to get fiscal legislation through. Instead, they can use budget reconciliation to pass stimulus bills, which only require a simple majority (51 votes)...Kamala being the tie-breaker.@ wrote:
Mr. Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief plan to Congress, but it is unclear whether it will garner enough Republican support to pass on a bipartisan basis. Until Congress is able to pass another relief bill, Mr. Biden's actions are intended as stopgap measures to stabilize the economy.