Democrats' $1.9T Covid aid bill faces the Senate chopping block
The Senate is girding for a wonky throwdown on Wednesday that could determine whether major pieces of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package are left on the cutting-room floor.
In a courtroom-like setting with high-stakes legislative consequences, staffers for both parties will argue over whether critical pieces of Biden’s coronavirus relief plan run afoul of arcane budget rules. The referee in this dispute: the Senate parliamentarian, or the upper chamber’s official adviser on procedural matters, who could opine as soon as Wednesday or Thursday on what's in and what's out.
Hiking the minimum wage to $15 an hour is on the docket, in addition to pension issues and subsidies meant to help laid-off workers remain on their health insurance plans. Democrats are hopeful for favorable rulings — and some progressives are determined to retool their proposals if they fall short, eager to get the biggest possible bill under budget rules that allow it to evade a Senate filibuster. But time to sort through potential pitfalls is running short, with House Democrats aiming to pass the package by the end of the week and congressional leaders hoping to send it to Biden’s desk before unemployment benefits expire in mid-March.
The minimum wage will likely stir up the most drama behind closed doors on Wednesday, with Republicans arguing that such a sweeping policy change doesn’t pass muster with the budget restrictions guiding passage of Biden’s pandemic plan. But Democrats are confident that they have a strong case, fueled by recent analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-dollar19t-covid-aid-bill-faces-the-senate-chopping-block/ar-BB1dYxy5?li=BBnb7Kz
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