House Passes $2 Trillion Emergency Relief Bill by Voice Vote After Hostile Debate

Townhall.com ^ | March 27, 2020 | Cortney O'Brien

[Candor7]

I agree with Massie....this is the greatest boondoggle since the FDR era.

Trumps original suggestion if waiving income tax with-holding and employer contributions for a year or more, would have been much better.

Inflation is a major problem IMHO. This bail out will reduce fixed income retorees buying power between 20% and 40% in the next few years. So Seniors need to start now lobbying for cost of living raise in their pension payments of around 20%, just for starters.

[Georgia Girl 2]

You need to wake up and realize we are in the middle of a monetary reset. Trump has effectively nationalized the Federal Reserve. Those $2 trillion dollars will be issued at zero interest. They do not add to the national debt. Those are equity dollars. They do not have to be paid back.
$2 trillion equity dollars will be put into circulation that will pay off existing debt dollars.

[John S Mosby]

Give your “rescue” (if you don’t want, or need it) to Donald Trump Campaign ground campaign-— fund your activist actions from this, get out the vote. Make it happen. They think this virus is going to shoe in whomever their superdelegates decide is their candidate, regardless of an absolutely idiotic primary.

Our battle vs. the “hail mary” Cloward Piven campaign of the obamaumao/demonrat ‘deep state’ last attempt to destroy our economy and keep us penned in- in key electoral states.

[John S Mosby]

Unity-— yeah... that’s what it was.

Now, Mr. President-— Impoundment Act of 1974. 45 days of communicated Recission of every line that has NOTHING to do with combating the virus. E.g.: Kennedy Center 35 mill— they already got 6 months ago 69 million!! on top of their private elite donors. 350 million for illegal aliens and their LAWYERS kicking back to the DNC their “percentage” of advantaged clientele.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

Since it was the communist government in China who caused this, can we pay for it by marking their bonds “paid in full”?

[MA FLA Deplorable]

House was also lost thanks to Paul 🐍 Ryan. He announced he wasn’t running and then, IMHO, actively work with the resistance to defeat republicans. He handed the House over to Pelosi on a silver platter then marched into Fox News to help undermine every single thing President Trump says or does. Rat b.

[Eleutheria5]

"Have not seen unity like this on a major,tough bill in a long long time. "



DANGER! DANGER! YOUNG WILL ROBINSON!

Oh, bare-foot boy with cheeks of tan One day you'll be a barefoot man. Your elders are out on a spree Squandering your posterity. Corona's the excuse today Your trust in them to just betray Tomorrow something new will come Some "threat" to your long gone free dumb.

[Candor7]

Massie is the ONLY one>

Thats right. And Mark LEVIN THINKS Massey WAS RIGHT.`SO ITS NOT JUST ME.

[Eric Blair 2084]

You can’t let a good crisis go to waste. This is a perfect opportunity to advance every progressive agenda with hundreds of billions of dollars that has nothing to do with a virus.

[Svartalfiar]

Rep Massie asked for a quorum count and the presiding officer said “a quorum is present.” That was it. Two seconds later the bill was passed and the House adjourned. Rep. Massie’s motion for a recorded vote needed a second. There was no second.

How can the presiding officer claim a quorum is present, if no roll has been taken? Pretty sure that's grounds for lawsuits from plenty of people that aren't gonna like the hidden goodies in this. What happens when it's ruled unConstitutional (cause of quorum, or some other reason), does that mean in a year or two everyone owes FedGov an extra $1200?

And it is absolutely ridiculous that not a single other member was willing to second him. Makes me wonder if the usually conservative members were not there? Any of them..?

[Svartalfiar]

ChiCom payroll or just don’t care about tens of millions Americans on the brink?

Huh?

[Svartalfiar]

Trumps original suggestion if waiving income tax with-holding and employer contributions for a year or more, would have been much better.

Inflation is a major problem IMHO. This bail out will reduce fixed income retirees buying power between 20% and 40% in the next few years. So Seniors need to start now lobbying for cost of living raise in their pension payments of around 20%, just for starters.

Yes, using methods that fall within their Constitutional powers would definitely be better, and likely much more effective.

But let me rephrase my statement, cause big inflation is definitely not a minor issue. Inflation isn't nearly the issue that getting rid of the Constitution is. We can get over and survive a bit/bunch of inflation. It may hurt, but it's a single issue. Whereas Repubs completely ignoring the Constitution, is a new-ish dynamic that has repercussions across everything. Once the Constitution has no authority, anything can happen, and almost all of it is not good for you, the little peon. Inflation will barely be one of many problems everyone except the elite few will be dealing with.

[Nero Germanicus]

According to media reports Senior House staff were directed by Republican leader McCarthy and Democrat leader Hoyer to count and list every member in the chamber. The presiding officer had the total count when he declared a quorum present. Pelosi had stalled for time during her final speech on the bill until she was assured that 216 members were present.
Here’s how politico.com covered it: “After it became clear Massie wouldn’t relent, leadership started taking steps to block his move. In a plan devised by Hoyer the night before, lawmakers were brought into the chamber, including in the public galleries above the floor to allow them to distance themselves for safety. By having a quorum of members in the chamber — at least 216 lawmakers, including in the public galleries — they could block Massie’s request for a recorded vote and pass the proposal by voice vote.

At 1 p.m. Pelosi took the floor to essentially stall for time as both parties’ whip teams could corral enough members on the floor. At one point, Pelosi urged her members to move even more quickly: “Come on, my colleagues, to the gallery!”

The plan worked — Massie was quickly overruled and the bill passed without members having to take a recorded vote. But lawmakers in both parties were still irate that they had to be present at all, endangering themselves and the dozens of congressional and Capitol support staff on hand, all because of Massie’s singular objection.

President Donald Trump lambasted Massie in a series of tweets Friday, calling him a ‘third rate grandstander’ and suggesting Republican leaders boot him out of the party.

‘He just wants the publicity. He can’t stop it, only delay, which is both dangerous & costly,’ Trump tweeted.

The package ultimately won support from the majority of members from both parties. In a sign of the gravity of the situation, Pelosi and McCarthy delivered a rare joint bill signing after the vote, thanking each other for the bipartisan work — just days after bickering between the parties nearly tanked a deal in the Senate.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/27/house-vote-2-trillion-coronavirus-package-deal-150869

[Svartalfiar]

The plan worked — Massie was quickly overruled and the bill passed without members having to take a recorded vote. But lawmakers in both parties were still irate that they had to be present at all, endangering themselves and the dozens of congressional and Capitol support staff on hand, all because of Massie’s singular objection.

Hmm. I still don't see the big deal about having a recorded vote - It takes a short time longer, and if everyone was so sure they had their quorum, what's the bad thing about it? It's not like they're covering votes for anyone, Massie was the only one fighting it, and the Senate went for the boondoggle 96-0. No one was gonna look that bad being recorded voting for it, the entire Senate did, and a voice vote basically means that every single monkey voted 'yea'.

[Nero Germanicus]

A recorded vote would have made it more difficult to maintain social distancing since members would need to be at their desks so that they can insert their personalized cards which resemble credit cards, into the electronic voting machines in the chamber, and register as “yes,” “no” or “present.” Congregating is what they were trying to avoid.

[Svartalfiar]

A recorded vote would have made it more difficult to maintain social distancing since members would need to be at their desks so that they can insert their personalized cards which resemble credit cards, into the electronic voting machines in the chamber, and register as “yes,” “no” or “present.” Congregating is what they were trying to avoid.

Meh. They can do what they're overpaid to do. As it is, voice votes should only be allowed on non-binding resolutions, or House rules, or any non-actual legislation. And if it was really that important, they could have had half the members vote at every other desk, then had the other half go through. Some kind of slow vote, but still had everyone on record. I really hope the conservative politician raters take voice-votes like this and rate accordingly.