Help is on the Way! (mostly)

 

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the first Social Security Law in 1935, he praised the provision that these payments could not be taken from workers. It was meant as a social safety net in a country that had seen massive foreclosures in the Great Depression and still supported so-called “poor houses” for the destitute. He noted that it would provide for those workers in their old age and for those who had no job security. The first Social Security check was issued in 1940 to a retired school teacher and was for $22.54. When started, there were no benefits for farmers, self-employed or domestic workers.

Now, we are seeing that many of these securities such as unemployment benefits, child care assistance and other aids to families do not supplement enough to keep families out of poverty.  America, one of the richest countries in the world, is seeing miles-long food lines, increasing numbers of impoverished children, and new programs to provide food for children who are being virtually schooled since they can no longer get supplemental meals in the classroom. With the wide-spread job losses seen as a result of the pandemic, many community food banks no longer have the same supports for funding or extra food from businesses that have now closed.

President Biden’s COVID relief plan, known as the American Rescue Plan, passed the Senate this weekend on a partisan vote and returns to the House for minor change resolution. Not one Republican in either the House or the Senate voted for this bill even though millions of their constituents will be the beneficiaries.  (While it might be truthfully pointed out that the Democrats did not support the former president and his massive tax cut for the rich – it was not beneficial to the greater populace, but instead aided the very wealthy.) Republican Senator Ron Johnson (WI) required that the entire bill of several hundred pages be read aloud by Senate clerks before a vote could be held.  This delaying tactic just meant that the senate worked far into the night and the weekend, but changed nothing. The Bill did not include a change in the Federal Minimum Wage which was a hotly debated topic but declared improper by the Senate Parliamentarian. 

The Bill extended unemployment benefits - which were due to expire next week - until September, but reduced the amount. It also added other stimulus payments to families and children of $1,400 at a minimum, adjusted for incomes, and increased the Child Tax Credit. Other funds were allocated for vaccine administration and to assist states and local governments which have been hard hit by the economic downturn. Despite Republican claims that the economy is already coming back, it still has a long way to go with millions still out of work. Around $130 billion is meant to assist schools in getting back up and ready with modifications as necessary for social distancing and safe classrooms. Money is also available to assist families in danger of evictions or foreclosure and to assist with healthcare options.

This legislation was the first priority for the President and was passed by use of a procedure known as reconciliation in the Senate, which can only happen on budget bills.  It may be used once more this session, on a technicality.  After that, all bills in the Senate will require 60 votes unless the filibuster is done away with. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (WV) has said he will oppose its removal but has seemingly backtracked a bit, to say he wanted to impose the former idea of a filibuster, where opponents of a bill had to stay on the floor and defend their opposition for many hours.  Today, a pro forma process is used and once a filibuster is threatened, it is imposed. Manchin has been trying to get the Senate to act in a more bipartisan manner, but with Mitch McConnell as the minority leader, this does not seem possible. Without some changes in the filibuster process, the Democrats have little hope of ever getting Bills to the floor for votes.  In the previous Congress, the House sent over hundreds of passed bills to the Senate which were virtually ignored by the then-Majority leader and never brought up on the Senate agenda.  Now, while he does not have the agenda control any longer, he can still defeat any bill in a divided 50-50 Senate, just by holding his caucus together.  There is little reward for individuality as the former president has already threatened Republican Senators who voted for conviction on impeachment.

Concerns are already being voiced about the need for some changes to implement the new voting rights bill already passed by the House (HR1- the For the People Act) – and instituting the John Lewis voting rights bill. These, as currently considered, would have to pass the filibuster if they cannot get bipartisan support. However, since Republican state legislatures are already filing proposals to roll back voting rights, decrease early voting dates and increase absentee voting regulations, the hoped-for Republican support may not happen. Georgia is planning to repeal the popular Souls to the polls voting sessions so popular on the weekends with black voters.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) is holding up the vote on Judge Merritt Garland because he does not like his answers on immigration, but he can only do this for a limited time, so with any luck, the nominee for Attorney General will be approved shortly. A few other nominations were approved this week – Gina Raimondo (Commerce) and Miguel Cardona (Education) and one was withdrawn – Neera Tanden – (Office of Management and the Budget), as the old double standard remains in place.  The President has said that he will find a slot for Tanden which does not require Senate confirmation. It is a shame that talented women are held to different rules than men. More than ten cabinet nominees remain in the pended status, along with several nominees in secondary roles. The President is supposedly given a 100-day grace period to get his government in place and institute his programs.  We are almost at the halfway point of that timespan, yet he has fewer than half of his nominees in office.  It is difficult to effect change when policies are still not reviewed and new ones are not yet in place.

The Johnson & Johnson adenovirus vector vaccine rolled out this week and since it only requires one shot, many cities planned to administer it to hard-to-reach populations such as the homeless and urban poor.  However, claims were then made that it was less than effective since its efficacy rate differed from the other vaccines which use mRNA technology.  The mayor in Detroit refused delivery for that reason but later reconsidered that decision. However, health professionals indicated that since their test populations were different and included some of the variants, their effectiveness data indicated that no deaths or serious hospitalizations occurred during testing, so it is a comparable vaccine and should be acceptable to any patient. 

The President indicated this week that he wants all educators and school staff vaccinated by the end of March and hoped to have all who desire vaccinations covered by the end of May. That is an earlier date than previously anticipated, so that is good news.  What is not good news is the opening up of several states, especially as Spring Beach weeks for colleges arise. Texas Governor Abbott rolled back all restrictions on gatherings, businesses, and mask mandates this week and was followed by other Republican states in what can only be a partisan move since it was decried by health professionals. President Biden called it Neanderthal thinking which became a right-wing media outcry. Some are saying Abbott made this move to deflect the criticism he rightfully earned in the states’ mishandling of the power and water issues during recent storms.

The CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky called for responsible actions until more Americans are vaccinated and indicated that she feared another virus spike if states moved unilaterally and precipitously before our vaccinations have reached higher numbers. She noted our daily case numbers are still generally exceeding 60,000, which is far too high and should not become our plateau statistic. Currently, the US is administering more than 2.6 million vaccine doses per day.

Alaska and New Mexico have given vaccines to at least 25% of their population and lead the country, while Texas, Alabama, and Georgia are the lowest with percentages of 15 and 13%. Maryland has improved slightly from previous weeks to 18%.

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COVID Stats – NY Times: 3/6/21

US Total cases: 29,033,600. New Cases: 56,606.

Total deaths: 524,639. New deaths: 1,459.

Maryland totals: Total Cases: 368,610. New cases: 932.Total Deaths: 7,941.  New deaths: 11.

Maryland had a commemorative service statewide earlier this week to note the 7000 deaths at that time.

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It is said that new Biden Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice, who now occupies the office once inhabited by Stephen Miller, (the anti-immigrant and Muslim ban proponent of the previous administration), decorated her space with Haitian art, and burned sage to rid the office of its previous negativity. Way to go, Susan!

“Til next week – Peace!