Kamala Harris breaks Senate tie to proceed with Covid relief bill
The Senate is expected to debate President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill today after a GOP senator’s calls for a reading of the legislation prompted an hours-long delay.
Senate clerks finished reading the 628-page bill at Republican Sen Ron Johnson’s request just after 2am this morning.
Lawmakers are expected to return at 9am to debate the bill for three hours before considering any amendments, with a final passage vote to take place as soon as this weekend.
Vice President Kamala Harris cast a tie-breaking vote pushing the president’s bill forward on Thursday, with the 51-50 vote along party lines suggesting Democrats will face an uphill battle pushing the bill forward.
Meanwhile, the acting chief of the US Capitol has called for congressional leaders to ensure that National Guard troops will stay put at the US Capitol Building to ensure lawmakers’ safety.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Yogananda Pittman told leaders that the National Guard was still necessary nearly two months after the deadly 6 January insurrection.
Georgia GOP leaders who took stand against Trump throw support behind voting bills
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have thrown their support behind GOP efforts to usher in new measures to tighten voting laws, even though the bid appears to have been sparked by the same voter fraud claims they spoke out against.
As The Associated Press noted in a report on Friday, both Mr Kemp and Mr Raffensperger were praised last fall for speaking out against then-President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 election.
However, now they have said they are in support of Georgia Republicans’ bid to introduce a rule enforcing ID requirements for absentee voting, which would do away with a signature matching system Mr Trump railed against.
On Tuesday, the Georgia state Senate passed the legislation, which would require voters to submit a driver’s license number, state ID card number or a copy of another approved form of identification to be eligible to vote absentee.
Democrats and voting rights advocates have criticised the bill, asserting that it will impose hurdles for voters who do not have that identification on hand.
Chantal Da Silva5 March 2021 09:54
Biden administration calls for end Myanmar military’s violent crackdown on protesters against coup
The Biden administration has ramped up calls for Myanmar’s military to end its brutal crackdown on protesters amid the country’s coup.
Branding the situation “troubling” and of “great concern” on Thursday, the White House condemned the military’s actions and called for the release of detained protesters and journalists.
“The detainment of journalists, the targeting of journalists and dissidents is certainly something that is of great concern to the president, to the secretary of state and to every member of our administration,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
Yet, on Friday, morning Reuters reported that police in the city ofMandalay opened fire on protesters rallying against the military’s coup, with the incident said to have left at least one person dead.
The press agency reported that a large crowd had marched peacefully through the city’s streets earlier that day, calling out that “the stone age is over” and “we’re not scared because you threaten us”.
Chantal Da Silva5 March 2021 09:25
Chuck Schumer credits GOP senator who stalled debate on Covid relief bill for helping Americans see ‘how popular’ plan is
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer appeared to mockingly credit GOP Senator Ron Johnson with helping make sure Americans hear “just how popular” President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 relief bill is by forcing an hours-long full reading of the legislation.
Mr Schumer thanked Senate Clerks in a tweet for reading the 628-page bill out after Mr Johnson objected to skipping the reading of the bill, which would have allowed debate on the relief plan to move forward.
“To the Senate Clerks: Thank you for reading the American Rescue Plan all day today,” the Senate majority leader said.
“ Republican Senator Ron Johnson wanted to make sure Americans heard again just how popular and just how bold the American Rescue Plan is from the floor of the United States Senate,” he said.
Chantal Da Silva5 March 2021 09:07
Capitol police chief says National Guard troops must stay put
The acting chief of the US Capitol Police has reportedly urged congressional leaders to act to ensure that National Guard troops stay put at the Capitol Building nearly two months after the deadly insurrection that unfolded on 6 January.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Yogananda Pittman said the board overseeing her department had declined to renew an emergency declaration to keep Guardsmen stationed at the Capitol.
She implored leaders to convince the three-member Capitol Police Board to extend the measure.
Her plea came amid concerns over the possibility of another attack on the Capitol after after intelligence suggested a militia group could take action on 4 March, the day some QAnon conspiracy theorists believed former President Donald Trump would return to power.
While the day has come and on, it is likely the Capitol police head’s request will remain intact in a push to ensure the safety of the Capitol following January’s events.
Chantal Da Silva5 March 2021 08:47
Sen Ron Johnson defends decision to demand full reading of Covid-19 relief bill
Republican Sen Ron Johnson has said he believes it was necessary to demand a full reading of the 628-page Covid-19 relief bill to ensure that lawmakers “know what’s in the bill”.
“I just objected to skipping past the reading of the Democrats’ 628-page bill that was just introduced minutes ago,” Mr Johnson said in a tweet.
Noting the $1.9 trillion price tag that will come with the measures included in the bill, the GOP senator said: “If they’re going to add nearly $2T to the national debt at least we should know what’s in the bill.”
The senator later weighed in on the reading as it unfolded, asserting that “it’s amazing how many times you hear the year 2022, 2023 and beyond. I thought all this COVID relief spending was needed *now*.”
“$1.9 trillion in additional debt is $5,800 per person,” he added in another tweet. “Added to the $4 trillion of earlier relief bills, its a debt burden of $18,000 per person. This relief isn’t free.”
Chantal Da Silva5 March 2021 08:32
Senate expected to debate $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill after delay
The Senate is expected to debate President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill today following an hours-long delay after a GOP senator called for a full reading of the legislation.
Republican Sen Ron Johnson’s request saw Senate clerks wrap up reading the 628-page bill just after 2am this morning.
Senators are expected to return at 9am to debate the bill for three hours with a final passage vote to take place as soon as this weekend.
The House passed a version of the bill last month and once the Senate bill is given the green light, the House will vote on it again before it makes its way to the president’s office.
Chantal Da Silva5 March 2021 08:26
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog following the latest on US politics as the Senate prepares to debate President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill following an hours-long delay.
Chantal Da Silva5 March 2021 08:17