Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House Democrats will pass the ‘Families First Coronavirus Response Act’ on Friday, though she did not mention support from Republicans or the White House.
The aid package secures paid sick leave, free testing, and strengthens food security initiatives, but the future of the bill remains unclear as House Republicans await a signal from the president. Pelosi added that the bill will also strengthen unemployment insurance. This bill is meant to expand upon the $8.3 billion dollar coronavirus package already signed by President Trump.
Pelosi, who delivered her remarks from the rarely-used speakers balcony, said the three most important parts of the bill are “testing, testing, testing” providing free tests to everyone including the uninsured and noted the legislation is “focused directly on providing support for America’s families, who must be our first priority.”
"Sadly, and prayerfully, we have learned of the tragic death of at least 41 Americans from this public health emergency so far," Pelosi said. "The American people expect and deserve a coordinated, science-based, and whole-of-government response to keep them and their loved ones safe."
Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been negotiating on the deal for days, and the Speaker’s office has been publicly tracking the calls between them to show the evolution of the negotiations.
President Trump, slated to speak Friday afternoon, could deliver a statement that will either signal to the GOP bipartisan support for the measure or leave the bill to face the hurdle of a Republican-controlled Senate.
Updated March 17 to clarify that $8.3 billion price tag refers to the initial coronavirus relief bill, not the ‘Families First Coronavirus Response Act.’
Disparities in tree coverage across America is a huge issue that affects air quality, heat exposure, and ultimately determines how resilient communities are against climate change. The Build Back Better Act is allocating $2.5 billion to boost 'tree equity.' Lemir Teron, assistant professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, joins Cheddar News to explain why this is a priority for Democrats today.
The Supreme Court will be hearing arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health on Wednesday over a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. Jimmy Hoover, the Supreme Court editor-at-large for Law360, joined Cheddar to break down the momentous legal fight. "This is the biggest abortion case at the Supreme Court in 30 years," he said. "It is a … a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade."
Matt Peron, Director of Research at Janus Henderson Investors, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down the factors leading to today's market slide and says there's more to it than Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments about speeding up tapering efforts.
Walmart CEO Dough McMillon praised the Biden administration's efforts to ease supply chain constraints after the company saw a 26 percent jump in shipments over the last month. President Joe Biden had announced back in October that California ports would operate on a 24/7 basis.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments with the Omicron variant that are spooking markets once again. Twitter's @Jack is leaving, SCOTUS takes up abortion rights and the world has a brand new republic.
The Biden Administration is set to buy 10 million courses of Pfizer's Covid pill if it gains emergency use authorization from the FDA. With this purchase, the U.S. will receive more than 13 million courses of antiviral pills aimed at treating Covid and reducing severe illness and death. Pfizer's pill has been shown to reduce risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent, proving it could be a key tool in the fight against the pandemic. Dr. Soumi Eachempati, Co-Founder, CEO & CMO of Cleared4, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
The Build Back Better Act has been at the center of endless negotiations and debate, ultimately landing as a nearly $1.8 trillion plan. One of the highlights is $170 billion dollars for affordable housing, making history as the largest investment in the sector to date. Eliza Collins, politics reporter for The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News to break down the bill.
