One might think passing the Coronavirus relief and stimulus package would be a bipartisan effort. But, no, the process has become a political sledgehammer used by Democrats to browbeat the U.S. Senate into accepting a few additional hidden gifts for the radical left. No good crisis is ignored in the political and media world of 2020.
But shouldn’t a real pandemic have Congress uniting and singing God Bless America on the Capitol steps? Or at least an emergency relief bill signing with commemorative pens?
No. It is entirely impossible for Republicans and Democrats to leave party agendas in a box on the shelf for the duration of the Coronavirus. Instead, using a national scare as cover, there is pandering to special interests.
Just days ago, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) made a grand attempt to hide the proverbial sausage while crossing fingers that the Senate would not catch her add-on. And what a tricky old gal the Speaker has again proven to be. She managed to squeeze in a loophole to get around the Hyde Amendment -- also an add-on in 1977 -- which banned the use of Medicaid funds for abortion.
It did not go unnoticed, and Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) lost his temper a tad:
“While schools are closing and hospitals are gearing up, Speaker Pelosi is waging unnecessary culture wars. Speaker Pelosi should be fighting the coronavirus pandemic, not politicizing emergency funding by fighting against the bipartisan Hyde Amendment. We need to be ramping up our diagnostic testing, not waging culture wars at the behest of Planned Parenthood. Good grief.”
The Sky Is Falling – Sign First, Read Later
This week, after another attempt to push through the relief funding bill, Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) made a fuss about not being privy to the details, changes, and whatnot the House was ready to pass. He held up the bill until he speedread the whole enchilada and then deemed the changes put forth made the bill so much better. He then withdrew his original Sasse-inspired objections.
The package was passed with unanimous consent during a pro forma session as the lower chamber is on recess. But since the sky is falling, and we’re damn near in financial ruin, one might surmise it would be an opportune time to get some real business done for all of us “social distancing” folks and cut that recess short.
So, what is in that bill that the Senate will soon have to review? No one is commenting past the stimulus numbers and the public talking points, which include free COVID-19 testing, paid family and medical leave, two weeks’ paid sick leave, and a line item to strengthen unemployment insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to as food stamps.
And now with the president climbing on board for the checks to non-millionaire Americans, it is a perfectly fitting time to pack additional pork into the casing -- all for the good of the people affected by this global pandemic. We wait with bated breath for the Senate to have another “Oh hell no” moment before anything gets accomplished.
As it stands, Americans will continue to be engulfed by the non-stop wailing, sweaty hand wringing, and pearl clutching lefty tirades. With the fearmongering drive-by media fanning the flames -- Chicken Little style -- Dems will deftly wring the last drop of panic out of the crying towel before efforts again fail to remove the bad orange man from the White House.
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Read more from Sarah Cowgill.
