Trouble in Paradise: Democrats Expect to Fail on Coronavirus Relief Until March

Democrat lawmakers expect to fail on providing another round of coronavirus relief until March despite President Joe Biden outlining a $1.9 trillion relief measures last week, Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman reported Wednesday.

“In @PunchbowlNews AM — Democrats do not expect to be able to send @JoeBiden a Covid [coronavirus] relief bill until early March,” Sherman reported the morning of the inauguration:

Biden unveiled his $1.9 trillion measure in a speech last week, which he said would address key issues in the battle against the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. That includes “speeding up the vaccine rollout, and providing financial help to individuals, states, and local governments and businesses struggling with the prolonged economic fallout,” as Breitbart News reported.

Members of the far-left have expressed concern over one key aspect of Biden’s proposal, which provides $1,400 stimulus checks to the American people rather than the $2,000 key Democrat legislators promised. Biden and his team, however, contend the proposal does, in fact, uphold the party’s promise when combined with the $600 provided in the $2.3 trillion government spending and coronavirus relief measure former President Donald Trump signed last month.

Progressive members of the caucus have publicly expressed disagreement with the $1,400 checks, with some, including Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), suggesting that the check come on a recurring basis, at least until the pandemic comes to an end:

It remains unclear when, exactly, Democrats will proceed on the measure and if they will provide $2,000 checks — something former President Trump also called for — or the $1,400 Biden backs.

While Democrats have identified additional coronavirus relief as a legislative priority, they are also focused on convicting Trump in the forthcoming Senate impeachment trial, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) expressing hope they will be able to prevent Trump from running for office in the future.

“After what he has done, the consequences of which we were all witness to, Donald Trump should not be eligible to run for office ever again,” Schumer said Tuesday.

“Let me be clear: There will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate. There will be a vote on convicting the president for high crimes and misdemeanors. If the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him again,” the 70-year-old New York Democrat added.