US Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell blocked an attempt by Democrats for quick action on increasing stimulus payments for people and households to $2,000, despite President Donald Trump’s demands for the change.
Mr McConnell objected to a motion by Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer to approve by unanimous consent a bill for the stimulus cheques, which passed the House on Monday.
He also blocked a motion by Senator Bernie Sanders for the Senate to vote on the cheques immediately after voting on overriding Mr Trump’s veto of a key defence policy bill.
It is now unlikely that the Senate will pass the bill to increase the payments before Congress adjourns on Sunday, when the newly elected legislature is sworn in.
Just before Mr Schumer made his motion, Mr McConnell said the Senate would consider higher cheques in conjunction with two of Mr Trump's demands unrelated to the pandemic relief bill he signed into law.
They are an investigation into alleged election fraud and reworking a law that protects technology companies from liability for user content.
“This week the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus,” Mr McConnell said, without explaining when or if a vote would happen.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Mr Trump again demanded that the Senate increase the stimulus payments from $600.
Despite his support, spending $464 billion on higher stimulus cheques is not popular among Republicans who are increasingly focused on the burgeoning national debt.
Only 44 Republicans joined 231 Democrats on Monday to pass a bill increasing the payments to $2,000.
In the Senate, only a handful of Republicans are now publicly on board, including Florida’s Marco Rubio and Missouri’s Josh Hawley.
The tension comes at a crucial time for Republicans who are fighting to maintain control of the Senate in a pair of Georgia run-off elections on January 5.
On Tuesday, the GOP incumbents in those races, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, came out in favour of the $2,000 cheques.
Mr McConnell has several options to tackle the direct-payment conundrum in which Mr Trump has put him.
With the attempt by Mr Schumer blocked, Mr McConnell could say there is not agreement to process the House bill on the floor by the time the current session of Congress ends on January 3.
That approach could risk a backlash from Mr Trump and his supporters.
Mr McConnell could also promise to work on the matter in the next Congress, which starts next week.
Kicking the can down the road leaves Mr McConnell with another problem, with Mr Sanders saying he will delay any attempt to override Mr Trump’s veto of the defence bill this week unless there is a vote on the cheques.
Another option would be for Mr McConnell to present his own bill, combining higher cheques with the other two issues Mr Trump wants addressed.
But combining those elements into a package would poison a stimulus-cheques bill for many Democrats. It would probably fail if brought to a vote.
The Democrats are relishing the political turmoil for the Republicans and hoping it will give them a chance to flip the Senate to help enact president-elect Joe Biden’s far-reaching agenda.
“The House and the president are in agreement: we must deliver $2,000 cheques to American families struggling this holiday season,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a tweet, calling on the Senate to pass the higher payments.
Although Mr Biden on Monday said he supported the higher payments, it is unclear if he will give them priority in his stimulus proposal to Congress after his January 20 inauguration if Congress fail to pass them.
The non-partisan committee for a responsible budget estimates that the bigger payments would raise disposable income in the first quarter to as much as 25 per cent above pre-pandemic levels.
The legislation would produce an additional 1.5 per cent in GDP output, but not all of the growth would occur in 2021, said Marc Goldwein, an economist who co-wrote the committee's projections.
But many Republicans opposed stimulus payments larger than the $600 in the existing law, in part over concerns about the cost.
Raising the payments to $2,000 would cost about $463.8bn, according to estimates by the staff of the joint committee on taxation.
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Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Zombieland: Double Tap
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Four out of five stars
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tips%20for%20holiday%20homeowners
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Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
