Economy

Trump rejects Dems’ COVID-19 stimulus plan, delays talks until after election

Published

3 years ago

October 6, 2020

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that he is rejecting the Democrats’ $2.2-trillion COVID-19 economic stimulus plan and that he is delaying negotiations until after the election, claiming that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was “not negotiating in good faith.”

In the spring, Congress passed an initial $2.2-trillion package but, for months, the next COVID-19 economic stimulus package has been stalled, due to both sides of the aisle not budging on an array of issues, most notably the package’s price tag. The GOP wanted a $1.6-trillion plan.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1313551794623127552

In the four-tweet thread, the President rejected the Democrats’ plan and said that he has directed his “representatives to stop negotiating until after the election,” adding, “immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business.

“I have asked […] Mitch McConnell not to delay, but to instead focus full time on approving my outstanding nominee to the United States Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett,” Trump continued.

Further clarifying his reasoning for halting the stimulus talks, Trump accused Pelosi of wanting $2.4 trillion “to bailout poorly run, high crime, Democrat States,” and that the money “is in no way related to COVID-19.”

This follows the Democrats in the House of Representatives passing the relief package last week that included provisions which would allow certain undocumented immigrants who are “engaged in essential critical infrastructure labor or services in the United States” and would be put into “a period of deferred action” and authorized to work if they meet specific criteria.

With less than 30 days until Election Day and two GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee quarantining due to contracting COVID-19, President Trump looks to be refocusing his campaign strategy. Moreover, his positive diagnosis for the novel Coronavirus last Thursday means he’s not been as active as he has been on the campaign trail. Still, Republicans are chugging full steam ahead to ensure that Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court before the election, which has been a top priority for the President.

While the economy has been recovering over the past few months as many states and localities slowly reopen, 12.6 million Americans remain unemployed, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and Bureau Statistics, following the initial layoffs and furloughs at the beginning of the pandemic and the U.S. death toll continues to rise past 210,000.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

Economy

Massachusetts Democrat Mayor wants to end ‘right-to-shelter’ law amidst migrant crisis

Published

2 weeks ago

September 12, 2023

Sara Carter Staff

More Democrat leaders from non-border states are wising up to the immigration crisis our nation faces. Woburn mayor Scott Galvin, of the progressive state of Massachusetts, is hoping that lawmakers will overturn a 40-year-old law because the reality of being “bleeding heart liberals” is resulting in the demise of his town.

The 40-year-old “right-to-shelter” law has got to go, says mayor Galvin, because of the immense strain the thousands of migrant families are putting on the area’s residents. By Friday, there were about 150 families living in the city’s hotels, an “unsustainable” arrangement for his 40,000 constituents.

Galvin told the New York Times the right-to-shelter law, which only exists in Massachusetts, was “passed at a different time, and was not meant to cover what we’re seeing now.”

National Review reports:

Under the 1983 right-to-shelter law, Massachusetts officials are legally required to offer housing to any homeless families seeking shelter in the state. The law now covers a rising influx of migrant families, although individuals are not covered under its provisions.

“We’re going above and beyond, while some communities around us are not being impacted, and we don’t have endless capacity in our schools,” said Galvin. “The benefits that are bestowed on migrants make the state a very attractive destination, and without some changes, this challenge is not going to abate.”

Massachusetts Democrat Governor Maura Healey already declared a state of emergency on August 8th, requesting help from the federal government. On August 31, Healey activated up to 250 Massachusetts National Guard members to assist the more than 6,000 migrant families already in the state’s shelter system.

Approximately 6,300 families are living in emergency shelters and hotels across the state, up roughly 50 percent from the year prior. The cost for such accommodations for all the migrants is approximately $45 million per month, National Review reports.