Dec 19, 2020, 04:16 am
(This post was last modified: Dec 19, 2020, 04:28 am by Resurgence. Edited 2 times in total.)
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) on Friday blocked an effort to pass a second round of stimulus checks, arguing coronavirus relief needs to be targeted and raising concerns about the country's debt.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) tried to get consent, which requires the cooperation of every senator, to pass his bill that would provide $1,200 for individuals who make up to $75,000 — the exact same language that Congress passed as part of the CARES Act in March.
But Johnson objected. Under the Senate's rules any one senator can request to pass a bill but any other senator can object and block it.
Hawley said he and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would return to the floor later Friday to try for a second time to pass their bill.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5308...lus-checks
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Update:
Reported December 18.
Republican senator blocks bill for $1,200 stimulus checks for second time
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) blocked a proposal to provide another round of stimulus checks for the second time on Friday - this time when it was offered by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Sanders, speaking from the Senate floor late Friday afternoon, tried to pass his bill that would provide a second $1,200 stimulus check for Americans making up to $75,000, the same language passed during a March CARES Act.
Sanders is the second senator to try to pass a bill Friday to provide a second round of $1,200 checks. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also tried earlier Friday and was similarly blocked by Johnson, who argued that additional coronavirus relief needs to be targeted and voiced concerns about the country's debt.
Hawley and Sanders, political opposites, emerged as Congress's latest odd couple to push for Congress to pass a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks either as a stand-alone bill or part of a sweeping coronavirus and government funding deal that is still being agreed to by leadership.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) aligned himself with Sanders on Friday.
Senator Ron Johnson ®.
![[Image: 2.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/bbh9HRr/2.jpg)
With an estimated net worth of $36 million, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is the seventh-wealthiest person in the US Senate. Like many of the richest people in Congress, Sen. Johnson made his fortune in the world of business before he became a politician. In the late '70s, the senator began employment as an accountant at PACUR, a Wisconsin-based polyester and plastics manufacturing company owned by his brother-in-law. As time passed, he moved up through the ranks, and eventually became the company's CEO by the mid-'80s. As at Dec. 2014, he owned 5% of the company and earned a little more than $4.8 million from the business that year. His other assets include between $6.1 million to $27.3 million in money market accounts, and commercial property in Oshkosh, Wisc., that is valued between $5 million to $25 million.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5309...econd-time
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) tried to get consent, which requires the cooperation of every senator, to pass his bill that would provide $1,200 for individuals who make up to $75,000 — the exact same language that Congress passed as part of the CARES Act in March.
Quote:"What I'm proposing is what every senator has supported already, this year. ... What I'm proposing will give working folks in my state and across this country a shot ... at getting back up on their feet," Hawley said from the Senate floor.
But Johnson objected. Under the Senate's rules any one senator can request to pass a bill but any other senator can object and block it.
Quote:"I completely support some kind of program targeted for small businesses. ... So what I fear we're going to do with this bipartisan package and what the senator from Missouri is talking about is the same thing, is a shotgun approach," Johnson said.
"We will not have learned the lessons from our very hurried, very rushed earlier relief packages," Johnson added.
Hawley said he and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would return to the floor later Friday to try for a second time to pass their bill.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5308...lus-checks
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update:
Reported December 18.
Republican senator blocks bill for $1,200 stimulus checks for second time
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) blocked a proposal to provide another round of stimulus checks for the second time on Friday - this time when it was offered by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Sanders, speaking from the Senate floor late Friday afternoon, tried to pass his bill that would provide a second $1,200 stimulus check for Americans making up to $75,000, the same language passed during a March CARES Act.
Quote:"This is not a radical idea. This is an idea that is supported by President Donald Trump. It is an idea that is supported by President-elect Joe Biden," Sanders said. "The American people cannot wait any longer; they need economic relief right now. ...They need help and they need it now."
Sanders is the second senator to try to pass a bill Friday to provide a second round of $1,200 checks. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also tried earlier Friday and was similarly blocked by Johnson, who argued that additional coronavirus relief needs to be targeted and voiced concerns about the country's debt.
Quote:“I'm not heartless. I want to help people. ... I voted for the $2.2 trillion CARES Act but I am also concerned about our children's future. ... We do not have an unlimited checking account,” Johnson, who is up for reelection in 2022, said after he blocked Sanders's request.
Hawley and Sanders, political opposites, emerged as Congress's latest odd couple to push for Congress to pass a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks either as a stand-alone bill or part of a sweeping coronavirus and government funding deal that is still being agreed to by leadership.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) aligned himself with Sanders on Friday.
Quote:"The quickest way to get money into the pockets of the American people is too send some of their tax dollars right back where they came from. So let's step up the plate. ... I support Senator Sanders's request fully and hope the Senate will consent," Schumer said.
Senator Ron Johnson ®.
With an estimated net worth of $36 million, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is the seventh-wealthiest person in the US Senate. Like many of the richest people in Congress, Sen. Johnson made his fortune in the world of business before he became a politician. In the late '70s, the senator began employment as an accountant at PACUR, a Wisconsin-based polyester and plastics manufacturing company owned by his brother-in-law. As time passed, he moved up through the ranks, and eventually became the company's CEO by the mid-'80s. As at Dec. 2014, he owned 5% of the company and earned a little more than $4.8 million from the business that year. His other assets include between $6.1 million to $27.3 million in money market accounts, and commercial property in Oshkosh, Wisc., that is valued between $5 million to $25 million.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5309...econd-time