[vc_row][vc_column][tt_member_details post_source=”2238″]We are committed to keeping you informed about your retiree benefits, pension funds, medical and drug costs and the truth about Medical Advantage Plans. This column features a current topic on these issues. (click here for previous FORUM articles )[/tt_member_details][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Senate Republicans voted Thursday to begin debating an extension on unemployment benefits on the chamber floor, as they’re set to expire over the weekend. The move would take up part of the …
www.washingtontimes.com
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By Alex Swoyer & Gabriella Muñoz; Washington Times ~ Jul 30, 2020
Senate Republicans voted Thursday to begin debating an extension on unemployment benefits on the chamber floor, as they’re set to expire over the weekend.
The move, which passed on a 47-42 vote, would take up part of the House passed coronavirus relief package but replace it with unemployment benefits at a lower weekly level.
Democrats objected to the GOP suggesting they should cut the current $600 a week to only $200 in the next relief package. House Democrats pushed for extending the full $600. Some GOP lawmakers suggested $400 could be a compromise.
The two parties have not been able to agree on what number is right for the unemployed with Republicans worrying too high of a number would prevent workers from returning to work.
“We’ve had enough rope-a-dope. We’ve had enough empty talk. It’s time to go on the record,” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
Mr. McConnell explained that the “shell” bill would be amendable, giving lawmakers more time over the weekend to continue negotiations.
“It makes it the pending business for next week. We can keep talking and hopefully make progress, because there’s no progress being made anywhere else,” the Kentucky Republican told Politico.
But Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer called the vote a “stunt.”
“For ten weeks — ten weeks — we have asked the leader to negotiate. And now finally they’ve woken up to the fact that we’re at a cliff but it’s too late,” the New York Democrat said.
If the procedural motion succeeds, the final vote would come as early as Monday.
This means that even if the GOP’s stopgap proposal passed, the boosted unemployment benefits will lapse on Friday.
After the vote, Sen. Martha McSally, Arizona Republican, attempted to move a seven-day extension of the existing unemployment benefits, but her motion was blocked by Mr. Schumer, who once again argued it was a “stunt.”
“A one week fix can’t be implemented in time and the senator knows that,” Mr. Schumer said.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/30/gop-pushes-short-term-extension-unemployment-benef/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
By Vishwadha Chander, Steve Holland & Carl O’Donnell; Reuters ~ Jul 27, 2020
(Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s meeting with top pharmaceutical executives that was scheduled for Tuesday has been called off, a White House official said.
“We’ve been more than accommodating” in trying to set it up, the White House official told Reuters on Monday, adding that they couldn’t get all the executives at the same time.
Via KHN Morning Briefing; Kaiser Health News ~ Jul 27, 2020
Even as Senate Republicans are poised to release their $1 trillion stimulus package hammered out with the White House, top Trump administration officials suggest that more narrow legislation may be needed as benefits are set to expire.
From Ryan Guina; Forbes ~ Jul 27, 2020
This afternoon, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) officially proposed the next stimulus bill, the American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act, which includes a $1,200 stimulus check for individuals who earn up to $75,000. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is the same limit as the stimulus checks provided under the original CARES Act, passed in March.
By Meridith Mcgraw & Brianna Ehley; Politico ~ Jul 26, 2020
Polls show voters say Joe Biden would handle the issue better. And Trump is running short on options to make concrete changes before November.
President Donald Trump is suddenly talking about health care again.
By Timothy Gardner & Jason Lange; Reuters ~ Jul 25, 2020
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Saturday said that the Trump administration supports extending enhanced unemployment benefits until the end of the year in the next round of coronavirus aid, albeit at a reduced level.
By Andy Sullivan; Reuters ~ Jul 22, 2020
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans and Democrats in Congress aim to pass a fourth coronavirus aid package before the end of the month, but they will have to overcome significant differences.
From Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.); The Hill ~ Jul 22, 2020
Americans continue to grapple with the skyrocketing cost of health care. Whether it’s paying for life-saving prescription drugs, innovative new therapies, surprise hospital bills, or routine medical care, these costs are part of our everyday lives.
By Dan Diamond and Adam Cancryn, Politico – July 16, 2020
Congressional Democrats on Thursday condemned Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma after a watchdog report found she mishandled millions of dollars in government contracts, with some lawmakers renewing or issuing new calls for President Donald Trump to replace his controversial Medicare chief.