It was supposed to be another quiet week in Washington, D.C. But, like last week, it turned out to be another eventful one. It started on Sunday with President Trump, after much speculation, signing the $2.3 trillion COVID relief and government funding bill and averting what many thought might be another government shutdown.
In a statement from the White House, President Trump said:
“I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed. I will send back to Congress a redlined version, item by item, accompanied by the formal rescission request to Congress insisting that those funds be removed from the bill.
I am signing this bill to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for PPP, return our airline workers back to work, add substantially more money for vaccine distribution, and much more.
On Monday the House will vote to increase payments to individuals from $600 to $2,000. Therefore, a family of four would receive $5,200. Additionally, Congress has promised that Section 230, which so unfairly benefits Big Tech at the expense of the American people, will be reviewed and either be terminated or substantially reformed.
Likewise, the House and Senate have agreed to focus strongly on the very substantial voter fraud which took place in the November 3 Presidential election.”
As President Trump indicated, on Monday the House of Representatives did vote and pass H.R. 9501 to increase the direct payments to $2,000. The bill passed 275-134. While the House passed this legislation quite easily, it’s future in the Senate is unknown, as is whether or not Section 230 will be reformed.
According to The Hill, “McConnell shot blocked the bill Tuesday and announced his intention to combine legislation boosting the checks with efforts to repeal Section 230, a 1996 law granting social media platforms protections from lawsuits over third-party content on their sites, and form a commission to look into claims of voter fraud and irregularities in the November elections.” If Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is going to act on these initiatives, he has to do so fast. The 116th Congress ends on January 3, 2021, and the 117th convenes.
Be sure that you are following Eagle Forum on Facebook and Twitter so you don’t miss timely updates on the fate of H.R. 9501 and Section 230.