In the second day of debate in the Ways and Means Committee on President Biden’s nearly $2 trillion “stimulus” package, Republicans again offered bipartisan fixes that would refocus the package on crushing the virus and reopening the economy.
For the second day in a row, Democrats rejected or put off every Republican proposal. Here is what the majority party said no to:
- NO to Workplace Safety. Democrats rejected help for small businesses to reconfigure their workplaces to keep workers safe from COVID-19. (Amendment by Rep. Tom Rice)
- NO to Getting Workers Back on the Job. Democrats want to make it harder for people to go back to work. They rejected an amendment that would help businesses bring long-term unemployed workers off the sidelines and back into the workforce. (Amendment by Rep. Lloyd Smucker)
- NO on Financial Help for #JoeJobless. Democrats turned down help for workers who lost their job due to President Biden attacking American energy during a pandemic. (Amendment by Rep. Kevin Brady)
- NO to Helping Parents with Costs of School. Millions of families have had to make sacrifices to help their children adapt to online learning, but Democrats refused to allow them to use their 529 savings accounts to buy books and instructional materials, tutoring expenses, fees for exams related to college admissions, and educational therapy for students with disabilities. (Amendment by Rep. Jason Smith)
- NO on a Permanent Doubled Child Tax Credit. Republicans, without Democrat support, doubled the Child Tax Credit in 2017. When we offered a vote to make that credit permanent today for American families, Democrats unanimously rejected it. (Amendment by Rep. Jason Smith)
- NO to Stopping Fraudulent Payments. Americans who need the most help should get it, including through tax programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit, but Democrats rejected increased program integrity and help for the IRS to set up additional payment programs. (Amendment by Rep. David Schweikert)
- NO on Financial Assistance for Survivors of Abuse. Divorced spouses and victims of domestic violence who previously filed taxes on a joint basis should be able to update their tax information to receive a stimulus check. Democrats said no. (Amendment by Rep. Tom Reed)
- DELAYED Helping More Americans Receive Their Stimulus Checks. Democrats agreed with, but admitted they could not advance, a requirement that the IRS implement better customer service for people who receive erroneous and missing advance payments of a recovery rebate. (Amendment by Rep. Mike Kelly)
- DELAYED Lowering Health Care Costs. Democrats agreed with, but admitted they could not advance, a common-sense expansion of health savings accounts to provide patients more flexibility in their health care plans to help with costs. (Amendment by Rep. Devin Nunes)
- NO on Securing U.S. Medical Supply Chains. Democrats voted against an amendment that would encourage pharmaceutical companies to produce their cures here in the U.S., creating life-saving medicines and jobs. (Amendment by Rep. Tom Rice)
- NO to Getting Money Into the Hands Who Need It Most. Democrats rejected an amendment that would target federal cash assistance to only those workers who have been severely harmed from the pandemic. (Amendment by Rep. Jodey Arrington)