Trump throws wrench into coronavirus bill negotiations with Senate Republicans

[Botany]

Source: NBC

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is throwing a big wrench into negotiations between the White House and Senate Republicans over the next coronavirus relief bill by demanding a payroll tax cut be included and funding for testing be reduced or cut completely.

Leaving meetings on Capitol Hill Monday night, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said that the payroll tax cut is in the yet-to-be released bill despite Republican senators saying they don’t think it’s good policy.

“Not a fan of that, I’ve made that pretty clear,” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, said of the payroll tax cut proposal. “I don’t think it’s something that changes anyone’s behavior and has trust fund implications. I just think there are better ways to do it.”

snip

Republican senators also denounced any attempt by the White House to cut funding for coronavirus testing.

“My view is, we should do whatever we need to do to make sure we have adequate tests,” Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, chairman of the Health Committee, said. “All roads to open school, opening, going back to work, child care, lead through testing.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trump-throws-wrench-coronavirus-bill-negotiations-senate-republicans-n1234433

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We have fallen into some kind of hell hole. No testing means the disease will spread and if you don't
have a job then you don't have paycheck and so a payroll tax cut is meaningless.

[Prosper]

1. A payroll tax cut starts killing social security.

Trump pats you on the back with a dagger in his hand. His supporters get a very limited view of what is going on. Trump primes them with "fake news" warnings and then gives them a dumb smile while he sabotages their lives.

[dawg day]

2. Why don't they just ignore him and vote for what's good for the country?

Let him stew and pound his chest. If he vetoes it, bring it back.
It's like they have no ability anymore to behave like elected officials.

[lark]

3. he is dead set on killing and destroying us and these are critical pieces in his mind.

Hurts working class in long run, doesn't do a thing for non-workers including disabled, and helps the rich (himself in other words). The no testing is his desire to kill us and cause utter chaos and panic at election time because he wants to use that & violence at the polls to declare a national emergency and martial law and cancel the elections if he's losing (which he will). The only way that won't happen is if he can somehow cancel all early voting nationwide and eliminate mail in voting and then have all repug governors close all the precincts in red cities/areas, but of course leave open all the rural places and have the pandemic raging so we are literally risking our lives to vote. Even then, I bet we'd come out and he will go to plan B - cancelling the elections and then effectively cancelling the constitution when SCOTUS will not stand up to him.

[stopbush]

6. He's at the point Hitler was at when he decided the German people

all needed to die once the war was lost.

[thecrow]

10. I am a senior citizen

Without a mail in ballot I would already be risking my life at the polls.
However, I may have to do that. I will think of John Lewis all the way.

[lark]

12. FL has special process to disqualify mail in ballots, so counting on early voting,

in the middle of the week for the least populated times. Hopefully they will leave that alone here as it could literally save lives while ensuring the votes count.

[thecrow]

13. Thankfully I am not in Florida...

[lark]

14. Yeah, it's not easy being here but it's where my family is.

Otherwise, sayonnara.

[thecrow]

15. Some of my family is there also.

I used to live there but I could not take the heat, hurricanes or the flatness!
So it was back north for me!

[lark]

16. I was born and raised here, lived in RI briefly, then moved to CA for 19 years.

I lived in Silicon Valley and it was just too crowded and I had small children and wanted them to know their grandparents. Back to FL where I've lived now for 31 years. My son, daughter and sister live here and they are my only direct family other than my husband. Hard to leave those I love.

[Me.]

4. They Seem To Forget It's Not JUst Up To The Cons Or The WH

[jayschool2013]

5. "Trust fund implications"

Now you're talking the GOP's language.

[ashredux]

7. The payroll tax cut is ransom. It hurts the funding as Social Security...

So So Trump, and some GOPers put that in the bill. If you vote against the bill, you’re voting against funding for the virus, school children, etc. If you vote for it your hurting Social Security and providing nothing to those millions of Americans out of work and don’t even get a damn paycheck

[Merlot]

8. republicans just love their payroll tax cuts, not just trumpft, but most of them.

When trumpft is gone, or if Hillary were president right now they'd still be doing this.

[Politicub]

9. The senate GOP could override a presidential veto, but they won't.

They're too chicken shit to do what's right. They are so yoked to Trump; they are pathetic cowards.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

11. Can two-thirds of Congress still override a presidential veto?

Maybe if enough Repugs threaten to join the Dems in an override vote Fat Donnie will back down.

Of course, he's going to claim the recent SCOTUS decision lets him do whatever he wants (he's already making that argument), but we can tie that up in the courts until he's gone.

Why is there not a push to get a 25th Amendment vote? Surely his claims about the cognitive test puts into question whether he is able to fulfill the duties of president.