The Democrats, led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), pulled an eleventh hour political move Sunday night, voting to pull a massive coronavirus recovery package after spending days negotiating with Republicans and top administration officials, in order to produce their own hastily constructed stimulus bill packed with handouts to Democratic constituencies.
The move angered Americans who are desperate to find some solace in social and economic quarantine and incensed Senate Republicans who spent days at the bargaining table with prominent Democrats, like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), under the impression they were hammering out a mutually acceptable, bipartisan stimulus package that could get money to individual Americans quickly while preserving some funds for businesses that could suffer long-term financial harm.
Pelosi, who had been on recess, sheltering in her home district, returned to Washington, D.C., Sunday night and upended the process, ordering Senate Democrats to restrict voting, kill the bill, and make way for a second stimulus package, which will hit the House floor at 2pm EST Monday.
Early reports on the Democrats’ bill show a piece of legislation packed with handouts, bailouts, and cash offerings to the Democrats’ top constituencies, as well as provisions demanding enforcement of the Green New Deal, easing voting restrictions, and strengthening union allies.
Townhall’s Guy Benson reported Monday that the bill contains “unprecedented collective bargaining powers for unions,” “increased fuel emissions standards for airlines,” and “expansion of wind and solar tax credits” — all items totally unrelated to the bill’s purpose.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to confirm those additions in a fiery floor speech Monday, accusing Democrats of bringing the country to an economic standstill.
Journalist Rachel Bovard managed to get an early copy of the 1,400-page Pelosi bill, and found further evidence of a lack of seriousness on the part of Democratic legislators. According to Brovard, the bill contains provisions bailing out the post office:
It also bails out the postal service. pic.twitter.com/cy9GYoK7zj
— Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020
The bill also mandates “risk limiting audits” of elections, as well as same-day voter registration — a longtime Democrat wishlist item that’s largely been considered a major hurdle to any voter rights legislation, given the possibility of abuse.
Pelosi's #COVID19 bill is 1,119 pages and contains provisions for "conducting risk-limiting audits of results of elections" so yeah it's really very focused on the crisis at hand.🤦🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/Q6axBi14lZ
— Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020
Ah, yes, requiring early voting will save us all from #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/Gwg4Tcyjx5
— Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020
Same day voter registration, a long-time Dem wishlist item, very relevant to addressing those businesses and working families about to go under from #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/KizGbEYq9O
— Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020
Democrats, Monday, complained that the bipartisan Senate relief bill contains a “slush fund” of corporate bailout money that will be doled out six months from the first bill. Senate Republicans were clear Monday that the “slush fund” — in actuality, a zero-interest loan program to compensate businesses harmed by government lockdown — has clear restrictions on the $500 billion set aside to assist firms that have not recovered from the coronavirus lockdown within six months, including limits on funding corporate bonuses and stock buybacks.
“Direct Lending Limitations: executive total compensation may not exceed $425,000; prohibition of stock buybacks during the duration of the loan; borrowers must maintain existing payroll as of March 13,” per the bill itself.
The Democrats’ bill does address corporations, but not by limiting salaries and buybacks — by demanding that corporations adhere to a non-sensical and irrelevant “diversity quota,” completely unnecessary to the task at hand.
Also, guys, let's maybe focus on restricting stock buybacks and executive compensation with taxpayer loans and save the woke-scolding for later? pic.twitter.com/6iv0TKbbwU
— Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020
Other provisions of the Democrats bill reportedly include a student loan bailout (up to $30,000 per borrower), and a limit on evictions, foreclosures, and deportations. Other, unconfirmed, reports note that Pelosi plans to include all provisions excised from earlier attempts at politicizing the stimulus bill, including a handout to abortion providers unrestricted by the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer dollars from going to directly fund abortion services.
Pelosi is expected to release the bill at 2 p.m.