I thought their offer would be around half at ~$1T. But I keep forgetting that "not giving a single fuck" is so 2020. They're way beyond that now.
GOP's COVID-19 relief proposal totals $600B, includes $1K payments
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said on Sunday that the framework for a COVID-19 economic relief package unveiled by 10 Republican senators would cost $600 billion, less than half the price of the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion proposal.
Cassidy said on "Fox News Sunday" that the pared-down GOP proposal unveiled earlier Sunday includes $1,000 direct payments to individuals that would be targeted to certain income levels. He did not specify if the GOP’s threshold would be those who made under $75,000 in the 2019 tax year. President Biden’s proposal includes a third round of direct payments totaling $1,400.
Funding for schools is also slashed in the GOP package, which Cassidy said offers $20 billion instead of Biden’s $170 billion. Cassidy noted previous COVID-19 relief proposals that funded schools and the notion that helping public schools would help teachers' unions who are skeptical of whether returning to in-person teaching is safe.
Cassidy said one area of agreement is vaccinations, with the 10 GOP senators agreeing to match the White’s House’s $160 billion figure to distribute and administer shots.
Biden said Friday that he supports passing a COVID-19 relief package with Republican votes “if we can get it, but the COVID relief has to pass. There’s no if, ands of butts.”
Last week, Biden administration officials held a call with 16 senators, including eight lawmakers from each party, about the White House’s COVID-19 relief package. The call was characterized as a “productive” conversation but several Republicans have called Biden’s plan too expensive.
The $1.9 trillion plan by the White House also includes an extension of emergency unemployment benefits past mid-March. A proposal by the Biden administration to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour was met with pushback by Republicans who argue it would cost American jobs.
Eh. $1600 isn't that much less than $2000
What annoys me the most is that I somehow didn't see that the logic would be $1,400 + $600 = $2,000.
I thought Biden/Dems would get checks out veeeeeery slowly (say late Feb) but they would be $2,000. I know the term "bait and switch" so what was I thinking?
I actually had the exact opposite, I clocked the whole '2000 instead of 600' thing but assumed foolishly that they would have to do it as soon as the new senate was in because every day that passed weakened the 'this is fulfilling the $2000 promise!' argument. If both went out in January, I think they would have a leg to stand on, but once four months have passed that $600 will be a distant fucking memory.
Its just such a colossal failure on so many levels though, having gone back and watched the Georgia ads (I was checked out of elections for that) its undeniable that they promised an additional 2000, but even if they wanted to pull the bait-and-switch, they even failed the switch! As it stands republicans delivered 1800, and democrats are telling everyone they are stupid for having thought the dems would give you 200 more, and instead offered 400 less at some vague point in the future, as the starting point for a negotiation
The dem promised to give people money. One, obviously that's a political winner. Two, this situation is as simple to understand as a situation there is yet the dems are clearly fucking it up with no way to make a plausible excuse. I've seen a few comments that use clichés like: "The democrats are negotiating with themselves". That's good phrase to describe typically stupid dem behavior. But to me this is a truly stunning level of idiocy. This is like doing an own goal intentionally.
I think I'm joking but I'm not sure when make this prediction. The dems finally decide to do reconciliation. But Manchin and Sinema (and other dems?) demand the bill is $1T because it's a nice round, big number and "it's big enough". And the dems actually end up making the bill $1T.