Friday, February 5, 2021
Congress Sees Its Shadow. It was Groundhog Day this past week, and it sure feels like we have been living the same day over and over again with the way that the parties in Congress can’t agree on an economic stimulus package. Democrats are moving forward, however, and this week they began advancing their economic package using “budget reconciliation,” a parliamentary process that avoids a filibuster and requires only 51 votes in the U.S. Senate to pass a measure. (Budget reconciliation could nevertheless prove a lengthy ordeal requiring modification of the legislation.) Republicans are still hoping that they can have some input in the process, and 10 Republican senators met with President Joe Biden at the White House this week to discuss a compromise proposal that they had drafted. It appears that there is still a ways to go on this matter.