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WASHINGTON. – The majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer (New York), faces some complications for the approval of the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package against COVID-19.
Despite the fact that the project that includes the $1,400 dollars was approved in the House of Representatives, Schumer must resolve the division that grows among his colleagues in the caucus, where the strongest voices are the senators joe manchin (West Virginia) and Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona).
Although there is division among Democrats on some programs of the package promoted by the president Joe Biden, the good news is that they agree to send the $1,400 stimulus check.
They also support the annual tax credit, to be sent in monthly installments to families with children. That is, $3,000 dollars per year per child under 6 years of age and $3,600 dollars per child between 6 and 17 years of age.
The increase to the national minimum wage to $15 dollars is the main problem for Schumer, since Senator Manchin proposes a maximum increase to $11 dollars.
However, Schumer and the chairman of the Budget Committee, Bernie Sanders (Vermont), now they must consider how to reverse the decision of the Senate parliamentarian, elizabeth mcdonough, who determined that the salary increase is unfeasible under the Reconciliation guidelines, since it violates the “Byrd rule”.
Although the Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), criticize direct aid to families, because they consider that "it is not directed" to those who need it most, now they are focusing their efforts on knocking down the proposal to send more than $300,000 million dollars to state and local governments, considering that will affect federal finances.
They have also joined the Democrats who raise their voices against the salary increase.
The Senate has little time left to approve the stimulus package, since it has set itself a deadline to approve it the March 14, because that date ends the distribution of federal funds to unemployment insurance. Source The Opinion
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