Despite the Senate quickly removing the controversial $15 federal minimum wage hike passed in the House version of the latest COVID stimulus bill, Republican lawmakers are still speaking out against other items included in the plan as Senate Democrats rush to finalize their version of the bill.
For Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla. 3rd District), the price tag, which includes checks for qualified Americans, is too high.
"As far as the stimulus, that is a temporary solution and, again, it just adds to the further debt that our nation is in. For us, as millennials, this is killer because this is on our shoulders. The generations before us, they're not going to have to deal with these problems of sequestration," she told Cheddar. "It's millennials and Gen Zs that are really footing the bill for this."
At 33 years old, Cammack is currently one of the youngest members serving in the House.
In a letter to President Joe Biden, Cammack said approving another trillion-dollar spending bill would be irresponsible, in part, because funds from previous relief bills still have not been allocated.
The cost of the COVID relief bill was not the only concern for Cammack, however. The Florida congresswoman described other measures in the bill as a "wish list of projects" that Democrats are trying to push through.
"It has nothing to do with rescuing America from this pandemic. It had nothing to do with COVID relief," she alleged. Cammack stressed the need to get vaccines for Americans interested in receiving it and reopening schools.
"What does an underground tunnel in Silicon Valley have to do with COVID relief? What does a bridge in New York have to do with COVID relief? This was just some of the garbage that was tucked into this bill," she protested.
While a new poll from Morning Consult and Politico showed more than 70 percent of voters -- including more than half of GOP voters -- support the bill as it stands, Cammack said her party isn't worried about efforts to strike down the relief plan backfiring.
"The previous bills in 2020 under President Trump were all bipartisan. There was Republican and Democrat support. In this bill that Nancy Pelosi just pushed through last week — actually at 2:30 in the morning — that not only had every single Republican vote against it but members of her own caucus," she said.
As the Omicron variant continues to sweep across the country. The US Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments at the end of this week on whether or not the Biden administration can force private companies to vaccinate or test millions of their employees. In addition, the National Nurses United has spearheaded legal action to protect nurses and health care workers, patients, and the public while on the job. President of the National Nurses Union, Zenei Cortez, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Far too often, Americans are forced to navigate a tangled web of outdated government websites, offices way out of their reach, and hours of time 'on hold' to access the simple government services they depend on. A recent executive order, signed by President Biden, is intended to improve, streamline and modernize the 'customer' experience when accessing government services. Mina Hsiang, the administrator of the United States Digital Service, joins Cheddar News to discuss how the tech workforce is impacted by this executive order.
Today marks one year since the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. The Country watched as supporters of then-President Trump stormed what was assumed to be the most secure building in the country in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 Election. Several lawmakers, including the Vice President, could be seen ducking down as they feared for their lives. Democratic Michigan Representative Dan Kildee, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Stocks closed lower on Friday as investors continue to worry over rate hikes. John Lynch, CIO of Comerica Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says value is back in play with investors. Lynch also believes the market has overreacted to the latest Fed minutes, suggesting a bounce-back at some point.
Ben Armstrong, founder of Bitboy Crypto, joins Cheddar News to discuss Bitcoin's downward trend and what's next for crypto after protests in Kazakhstan cause crypto miners to shut down.
Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine joins Cheddar Politics to discuss his lawsuit against the extremist groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over their role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Josh Pasek, a professor at the University of Michigan and expert on political communication and misinformation, joins Cheddar News to discuss how political radicalization happens and how America got to this point.
Kyle Kondik, managing editor at Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, joins Cheddar News to discuss what to expect at the 2022 midterm elections.
Katie Barlow, media editor at SCOTUSblog, joins Cheddar Politics to reflect on what happened at the Supreme Court in 2021 and what may be in store for 2022.
Gerren Keith Gaynor, managing editor of politics and Washington correspondent at The Grio, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the progress President Biden made on his policy agenda in 2021, and what remains to be done in 2022.
