N E T W O R K THE MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED CARIBBEAN AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN FLORIDA
By Lisa Mascaro
Despite deep Republican divisions, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed ahead Wednesday toward a COVID-19 aid package with the White House as Democrats warned the GOP is delaying needed relief to Americans during the crisis.
CNWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Time Is Running Out
Key GOP senators revolted over the emerging $1 trillion effort as the price tag could quickly swell. Conservative Republicans vowed to slow-walk passage of any bill. But pressure is mounting as the virus crisis deepens and a $600 weekly unemployment boost and a federal eviction moratorium come to an end starting Friday. “We’re hopeful we’ll be able to get there,” McConnell told reporters.
“We’re still on the 20yard line? Where have the Republicans been?” – Sen. Chuck Schumer (D)
Dems warn GOP divisions are delaying virus aid
Briefings were underway at the Capitol and the Republican leader hoped to present a working draft by late Wednesday or Thursday. But the size and scope of the federal spending, and the jumble of competing priorities from President Donald Trump and GOP senators, left the outcome uncertain as the pandemic death toll climbed past 142,000. “I just don’t see the need for it,” Sen. Ron Johnson, RWis., told reporters on Wednesday. Exasperated Democrats, who already approved House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's more sweeping $3 trillion package two months ago, said time is running out for Trump and his GOP allies to act. With millions out of McConell work and a potential wave of
evictions ahead, the severity of the prolonged virus outbreak is testing Washington's ability to respond. Schools are delaying fall openings, states are clamping down with new stay-home orders and the fallout is rippling through an economy teetering with high unemployment and business uncertainty. A new AP-NORC poll shows very few Americans want full school sessions without restrictions in the fall. The White House negotiators, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Mark Meadows, the president’s acting chief of staff, were expected to head to Capitol Hill later Wednesday. But Trump and his GOP allies are tangled over his push for a payroll tax cut, which many Republicans oppose. They also are straining to come up with a way to limit extended jobless benefits, which
“We are just days away from a housing crisis that could be prevented.” – Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D)
THURSDAY JULY 23, 2020
Oh, The Irony! Scott-Rubio Cuba Bill Puts Strain on U.S.Caribbean Relations By Vonnie Lee
If the Cut Profits to the Cuban Regime Act, recently proposed by our local U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, were to pass, it would be at odds with Caribbean countries such as Barbados, Jamaica and St. Lucia that benefit from Cuba’s medical missions. The bill would essentially cut off revenue from Cuba and punish all the countries that utilize these programs. Our neighbors to the south—the Caribbean—seem to be on the right trajectory to overcoming the virus, through strong leadership, adhering to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and, many with help from Cuban medical personnel.
many Republicans say are paying people too much money. A stopgap measure may be needed to prevent a benefits shutoff. As the Republicans battle over their priorities, Democrats warn they are wasting precious time. McConnell’s blueprint is expected to include a new round of direct payments to earners below a certain income level, similar to the $1,200 checks sent in the spring. It also will likely have some version of Trump’s demand for a payroll tax holiday for workers, which many Republicans oppose. Republicans said they want to replace the $600 weekly federal jobless benefit with a lower amount. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said it would likely be swapped for a smaller amount more closely pegged to state benefits rates. That means workers in states with larger benefits would get a more generous add-on. “We cannot allow there to be a cliff in unemployment insurance given we’re still at about 11% unemployment,” Portman said. Republicans want to include at least $105 billion for education, with $70 billion to help K-12
However, while we battle an out-ofcontrol coronavirus crisis here in Florida, with a total of 350,047 cases and more than 5,000 deaths, the leadership in the state seems to be flailing and failing to tamp down the scourge. The bill requires the State Department to publish the list of countries that contract the doctors through the Cuban government and to consider that as a factor in their ranking in the State Department’s annual Trafficking in
B4 – Time Running Out
continues on B4 – The Irony
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