Dem aide: "An agreement was in sight to deliver aid to the American people until Sen. Toomey and Republicans inserted an 11th hour purely political, unrelated provision to tie Biden’s hands and risk throwing the economy into a tailspin ...
"The Toomey provision would be an unprecedented change to the law to strip the Fed chair of one of their most important tools to quickly respond to any future economic crisis."
This is about winding down Fed's emergency lending ... not a great sign right now
While this has become a sticking point, not a new ask by Toomey and was in previous versions of GOP bills
R aide: D comments are "funny when you consider not 9 months ago, these facilities constituted a slush fund for Republicans to enrich their billionaire friends."
Clarification: Toomey has pushed similar language previously but not exactly the same. Dems argue this far more restrictive because would prevent new emergency lending facilities similar to CARES Act from being established
@AndrewDesiderio@marianne_levine “Whatever the calculation before Nov. 3, the calculation before Jan. 5 appears to be, on both sides, that a Covid relief bill is the right thing to do for the nation and the right thing to do politically,” said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
@AndrewDesiderio@marianne_levine McConnell arguing to reluctant GOP that new round of checks is demanded by Trump and will help in Ga.
“Both Kelly and David benefit from getting this over the finish line,” says Sen. Braun
Moreover, Rs are trying to prove that it won't be total gridlock if they control Senate
“While the amount is yet to be determined, direct payments to American workers continue to be a high priority of the president’s,” says a White House spokesman
To clarify: Hawley said $1200 for individuals, $2400 for couples. My typo.
NEWS: Sen. Josh Hawley urges President Trump to veto Covid bill that lacks new round of direct payment checks (bipartisan + McConnell proposals don't have it)
"It's fair to say that [Trump] was surprised at the direction that some of these were headed"
“I said, ‘I think it's vital that any relief include direct payments, and I'm not gonna vote for it if it doesn't.’ And I also urged him to veto any bill that did not have direct payments in it,” Hawley said. He called it "wild" that nobody's proposal has this
Hawley also spoke to Bernie Sanders (!) about direct payments
"Getting the $1,200 direct payments to workers during this unprecedented crisis should be a slam dunk. Sen. Hawley seems to understand that, and Sen. Sanders will talk to anyone to get this done," says @fshakir
Chris Coons is Joe Biden's ambassador to the GOP for the next four years. Turns out Biden required him there more than at the State Department; most Republicans currently in chamber didn't serve with Biden
Coons’ wife, Annie, often has this reaction when he recounts a discussion with, say, Lindsey Graham: “Oh, my God.”
“She says, ‘How can you possibly? After this, after that, after this?’ And I say, ‘Honey, it’s my job, it’s my job. And she said: ‘You seem to actually like them,"
Coons worked on these relationships for a decade. Now's the time for pay off. Some Senate Rs called Coons right after the election, including Graham, who still won't recognize Biden as POTUS elect
“He’s going to be one of the most influential people in the Senate," Graham says
The easiest way for Neera Tanden to win confirmation as Joe Biden’s budget director is for Democrats to take the Senate in January. Otherwise, she faces a perilous path to winning a majority vote in the chamber. @caitlinzemma@theodoricmeyer
“I really am a little surprised, particularly on the OMB nominee that there hadn't been at least some consultation. I mean some of these problems can be avoided. And people, you know, saved from the embarrassment.”
Tanden deleted attacks on some GOP senators, some of whom she will need to support her
“She's been pretty partisan in some of her previous positions. And in many cases, with respect to Republican senators who would have to vote on her potential nomination,” said Sen. Thune