District of Columbia | May 24, 2021
Republicans Reject Tax Increases After Meeting With Biden on Infrastructure
District of Columbia | May 24, 2021
Top Republicans told President Joe Biden during an Oval Office meeting on May 12 that they won’t support tax increases in a major infrastructure package.
Biden, a Democrat, has proposed reversing key portions of the 2017 tax bill which had been approved by the GOP and signed by then-President Donald Trump.
“We’re not interested in reopening the 2017 tax bill. We both made that clear to the president. That’s our red line,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters in Washington after the meeting.
The economy was strong in early 2020, before being derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, because of the tax cuts in the bill, McConnell asserted.
“Raising taxes would be the biggest mistake you could make,” added House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), citing the rise in gas, food, housing, and lumber prices and surging inflation. “That, to us, is a nonstarter.”..
(Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
District of Columbia | May 17, 2021
39M Families to Receive Monthly Child Payments in July
District of Columbia | May 17, 2021
The Treasury Department said Monday that 39 million families are set to receive monthly child payments beginning on July 15.
The payments are part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which expanded the child tax credit for one year and made it possible to pre-pay the benefits on a monthly basis. Nearly 88% of children are set to receive the benefits without their parents needing to take any additional action.
Qualified families will receive a payment of up to $300 per month for each child under 6 and up to $250 per month for children between the ages of 6 and 17. The child tax credit was previously capped at $2,000 and only paid out to families with income tax obligations after they filed with the IRS…
(Excerpts from Newsmax)
District of Columbia, South Carolina | April 22, 2021
Sen. Tim Scott to deliver Republicans joint address to Congress
District of Columbia, South Carolina | April 22, 2021
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will deliver his party’s response to President Biden’s joint address to Congress next week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced on Thursday.
Why it matters: The pick is a big deal in the post-Trump GOP as Republicans navigate what the future of the party will look like. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, is widely seen as a rising star in the party who is well-liked by pro-Trump Republicans as well more moderate members.
- The selection comes as Scott is working closely with Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on a potential bipartisan police reform deal in the wake of the Derek Chauvin trial.
What they’re saying: “Sen. Tim Scott is not just one of the strongest leaders in our Senate Republican conference. He is one of the most inspiring and unifying leaders in our nation. As Sen. Scott likes to say, he is living his mother’s American dream, and he has dedicated his career to creating more opportunity for our fellow citizens who need it most,” McConnell said….
(Excerpt from Axios)