Schools - I imagine a vaccine will be needed before things go back to normal re school and after school care etc. There has to be an end point to this, right?
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President Donald Trump is throwing a big wrench into negotiations between the White House and Senate Republicans over the next coronavirus relief bill by demanding a payroll tax cut be included and funding for testing be reduced or cut completely.
“Not a fan of that, I’ve made that pretty clear,” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, said of the payroll tax cut proposal. “I don’t think it’s something that changes anyone’s behavior and has trust fund implications. I just think there are better ways to do it.”
Republicans are trying to get on the same page before they start negotiating with Democrats before they leave for a month-long August recess.
Republican senators also denounced any attempt by the White House to cut funding for coronavirus testing.
“My view is, we should do whatever we need to do to make sure we have adequate tests,” Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, chairman of the Health Committee, said. “All roads to open school, opening, going back to work, child care, lead through testing.
Funds for testing: Senate Republicans are pushing back on the administration’s idea to cut funding for coronavirus testing.
“Well, I think that's a that's going to be a priority for our members, for sure,” Thune said. Alexander told reporters “I believe that we should fund testing as generously as it needs to be funded.”
Blunt, who has been working with Alexander to increase testing capabilities, told reporters “I just think that’s wrong” to cut funding, citing a new rapid test the National Institutes of Health is working on that will need increased funding in the next bill. “It’s going to take more money to quickly focus in on those tests and have them ready, by the time, hopefully, by the time school starts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Meadows told reporters “How would they even know what funding for testing is?” when told Republican senators want to increase funds.
Increased unemployment benefits: Republicans aren’t a fan of extending the $600 per week increased unemployment payments and neither is the administration, but Democrats are pushing for it.
“Obviously it will be a negotiation between the Republicans, Democrats and the White House,” Thune said. “ I can’t imagine a scenario where extending it at the current level would happen.”
Stimulus checks: Republicans are torn over more direct payments, but the administration wants it.
“Nothing is final. But I suspect that there will, there's a high level of interest in doing something more to help people, particularly on the lower end of the income scale,” Thune said. “But I think the last version of this cost somewhere on the order of $300 billion, and there'll be a plug in there to help people and whether that's payroll tax, or, you know, the direct checks, checks, or what form that takes, I'm not sure.”
Grassley favors stimulus checks over payroll tax cuts.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-thr...030957273.html
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Payroll tax cut -- takes directly away from Social Security. As a 41 year old who has worked his entire working eligible life and paid into the system ... dont continue to rob me. This would only help people already employed, the more you make the more it helps you.
if they cut the payroll tax by 2% and I make just over 100k a year, that benefits me (who doesnt need it) much more than someone who makes 43k.
Stimulus checks - sounds like it will go to people making less than 40K or so a year. Id rather just continue raising the debt and go with stimulus checks vs taking away from Soc Sec even though that would benefit me
Defund or reduce testing - i dont understand this. Dont we want and need rapid testing as a first step towards opening schools back up, being able to contact trace? I think they increase funding for testing not reduce or defund.