Last week Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who defend the filibuster, voted in favor of a budget resolution by the reconciliation process. That budget resolution includes President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief package that includes $1,400 relief payments to Americans (combined with the $600 enacted in December, rounds up to $2,000). Sens. Joe Manchin … Read more
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) writes at the Washington Post, My fellow Republicans, convicting Trump is necessary to save America: Winston Churchill famously said, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” All Americans, but especially my fellow Republicans, should remember this wisdom during the Senate’s trial of former president Donald Trump. … Read more
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), age 86, confirmed that he will retire when his term ends in 2022, the Washington Post reports. Good call. Shelby should have retired years ago. Here’s where things go off the rails. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), one of the three congressional conspirators who planned the January 6 insurrection in Washington D.C., along … Read more
S.V. Date, senior White House correspondent at HuffPost, writes Trump Trial Also A Referendum On GQP Authoritarianism In America (my edits): As the Senate readies for yet another Donald Trump impeachment trial and prepares to judge the former president’s conduct, senators also may be voting on a much bigger question: American democracy versus GQP authoritarianism. … Read more
Vote-A-Rama is over in the Senate, and there is some good news, and some bad news. Democrats approved President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, but failed to support raising the minimum wage to $15 hour. The New York Times reports, Senate Votes Against Minimum Wage Increase During Pandemic as Biden’s Economic Plan Moves Forward: Senate lawmakers … Read more