McConnell unveils economic rescue plan amid virus shutdown

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By ANDREW TAYLOR and LISA MASCARO

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled a sweeping economic rescue plan Thursday to pump $1,200 direct checks to taxpayers, $300 billion for small businesses to keep idled workers on payroll and $208 billion in loans to airlines and other industries.

It’s the initial Republican offer on the biggest legislative package yet to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

The GOP leader’s effort builds on President Donald Trump’s request for Congress to “go big” as lawmakers race to craft a $1 trillion economic aid and stimulus package amid the pandemic crisis and nationwide shutdown that’s hurtling the country toward a likely recession.

“We need to take bold and swift action as soon as possible,” McConnell, announcing his plan on the Senate floor.



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walk to attend a Republican policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)


Read more: https://apnews.com/0373a78b0aacc49d1f6bd8901c8ccc67

[Skittles]

1. the tax giveaways to the superwealthy WOULD COME IN HANDY RIGHT ABOUT NOW

*FUCK* these "fiscal conservatives; FUCK THEM ALL TO HELL

[Vivienne235729]

3. +10000 EXACTLY!!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Yeah, fiscal conservatives ran big deficit in good times. But tRump is supposed to be finance genius

[sandensea]

16. Dear Leader's running the country like he ran his casinos:

Into the ground.

[AlexSFCA]

2. we will all be paying for it; it's like predatory lending

there is no free money. Don’t envy Biden cleaning up the mess if he becomes prez.

[Grokenstein]

9. That's the entire scheme in a nutshell.

"WE saved you. HE's going to raise taxes!!"

[VMA131Marine]

4. Ya know, it's funny

But I don’t remember any of these fuckers voting in favour of the 2009 stimulus that President Obama wanted. I hope House Dems are able to get something for workers in return for voting for this plan. I still get the feeling it’s not going to be enough, and there need to be strings attached to the money going to businesses.

[NotHardly]

5. Let's see if he "rescued" himself by dumping his stock like the currently 4 known insider-traders...

or was that traitors?

[cstanleytech]

6. That 1,200 is far to little it needs to be increased to 5k at a minimum as it will take some time

for the money to start stimulating the economy and for people to go back to work and or find new jobs.

[Polybius]

12. Has any politician proposed that much?

I know Bernie said $2,000 the other day, which is a lot better.

[duforsure]

14. Rep Waters was at $2000 a month until its over

Another one on MSNBC suggested up to $6000 with another payment down the road, and the Senate amount is woefully inadequate and its trump trying to cheat the people then give himself and the wealthy another windfall from it. The way you know it he's trying to talk it up he's going big, when he's going cheap for the American people. He's trying to cheat the American people out of desperately needed help like he's doing to the Governors, and the same thing he did to PR, talk it up with lies then do little. trumps lying he's going tiny to the people with this.

[cstanleytech]

26. The one that made the 6000 dollar suggestion has it right as that is what would give the country

the chance to rebound far faster.
As for companies slowing hiring and or not hiring back enough people over this I would fix it by that by actually increasing the corporate taxes to 85% for companies with 200 workers or more (and franchise company employees count as part of the corporation itself not the franchise solely) but giving incentives to corporations to hire back people at a minimum wage of at least 15 by linking it all to the companies taxes.
Closer they get to the pre crash level of people on their payroll that earn at least 15 an hour the lower the their taxes to 65% at the lowest if they hire in 5% more hourly people than they had on their payroll pre crash.
Now the more hourly wage people they hire and or have that earn 400% or higher above what the federal poverty level is it then it starts going exponentially going lower and it can at a minimum drop down to 2% corporate tax but that would take them to have 98% of their employees earning that 400%.

[ancianita]

7. Somebody's following the money. They'll find out. I hope he's crushed, then indicted.

[Dem2theMax]

8. 'Bold and swift action?' The GOP? The party of procrastination?

[Grokenstein]

10. The party of "We'll let 'em die unless we get what we want."

The exact reason I get foaming-at-the-mouth face-punchy whenever some dumbshit rolls out the ol' "both sides bad" garbage.

[Dem2theMax]

11. I have a Trumper friend who says that all the time.

I have to bite my tongue. I thought this disaster would change her mind, and that of her husband. The last time I went by their house, the Trump sign was in the window.

McConnell and his evil cohorts are holding the country hostage. And while they are doing that, we are dying.

[Ford_Prefect]

15. Likely they've been planning this money laundering since last December.

The process has the hallmarks of the conspiracy that led to the original Homeland Security Act. A disaster response engineered to hide a huge re-alignment of government and an enormous giveaway of public funds to the patrons of the party in power, who in turn spent very significant sums to maintain the party in power.

[sandensea]

17. Let me guess:

There's a big, fat subsidy in there for shady businessmen who use rusty old barges to ship "coal" from Colombia to the Netherlands.

Just guessing.

[pazzyanne]

18. I have a concern about this "give-away".

I have a fatal autoimmune condition, now under remission. I am living on Social Security. My insurance includes Medicare Advantage and Medicaid that pays for my annual infusions that keep me in remission. If I receive that money, I could lose my Medicaid due to being pushed over the monthly cap on finances. Without Medicaid my infusion bill will be over $40,000 which I have no way of paying. Anyone know anything about this issue? I could really use some insight into this problem.

[KatyMan]

19. Primary payor

Should be your Advantage plan, shouldn't it?

[pazzyanne]

20. It is, but Medicaid picks up the $40,000 co-pay.

Medicaid is the safety net that I am concerned about losing for a one time infusion of money. I can reapply, but that takes time, and October is when my next annual infusions happen.

[KatyMan]

21. Medical necessity vs income eligibility

Well. I am not sure. This is Mrs. KatyMan and I am an RN case manager for a Medicaid contractor in Texas. In Texas if you are not able to qualify both financially and medically there is what is called Medical Necessity. This means that if your medical needs are overwhelming you can be covered under a waiver program. Now most states have a Medicaid Estate Recovery Program which may concern you if you plan on leaving a sizable estate. Medicaid eligibility varies state to state but you can always call your state Medicaid program for advice. I am sorry that I can't be More helpful, but as a nurse I don't really get too involved in the financial area of medicaid.

[pazzyanne]

22. Thank you, KatyMan!

This is exactly the information that I am looking for. I'm in Minnesota, so we have really good options, but I didn't know what I was looking for. Am saving this information and will be contacting my County Financial Advisor with this information. I can now go to bed and sleep!

[ProfessorGAC]

25. Good To Meet You, Mrs. k

Your hubby & I commiserate here pretty often. Now, I've interacted with you, too.

[Brainfodder]

23. $1200? That's 1 month of minimum wage pay?

That's their solution?

Seriously?

I wish there was a way and a web site that could show who has America's actual money?

You hear about all these trillions/billions/millions spent by our government.

Is it just a cheating system?

[Champp]

24. You can't buy my vote for $1,200 (of my own tax money)

And the Russpublican Trumpettes have already sold out for cheap.

So this plan ain't gonna amount to more than a puddle of piss in a Russian hotel room.

[maxrandb]

28. Oh, if you're already rich, it's going to be a boondoggle for you

[maxrandb]

27. Fuck him and the turtle shell he rode in on

[marble falls]

29. The way I read it, as an "elderly", immune compromised person with lung issues: I'll get $600.00...

I'll donate it to whatever organization is providing gloves and masks to healthcare workers. It's not enough to help my situation and it's too much to fritter away.

If I can duck this thing long enough to actually get a check.

[Lowell]

30. What good is money going to do

if no body is producing anything. If there are nothing but empty shelves in stores. What can money buy there? They haven't thought things through. Things are not going on as usual, they've changed. And Trump's failure of leadership in the crisis is going to cost us all in the long run. Our lives will never be the same again until the disease is defeated. We can defeat Trump while we're at it.