Taste My Aruba: Friday Sustainable, February 12, 2021 Sea-to-table T: 582-7800 Savor www.arubatoday.com facebook.com/arubatoday instagram.com/arubatoday Page 10 Aruba’s ONLY English newspaper GOP attacks Dems’ $1.9T COVID-19 relief bill from all angles By A. FRAM, R. ALONSO- Democratic leaders hope ZALDIVAR and K. FREKING for House passage later Associated Press this month, with Senate ap- WASHINGTON (AP) — Re- proval and a bill on Biden’s publicans are attacking desk by mid-March. the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion “This is the moment,” said COVID-19 relief package Ways and Means Com- as too costly, economically mittee Chairman Richard damaging and overtly par- Neal, D-Mass., citing the tisan, an all-angles attempt pandemic’s human and to derail new President economic toll. Joe Biden’s top priority as As committees worked, it starts moving through a Republicans proposed Congress his party controls amendments spotlighting only narrowly.Four House what they see as the leg- committees worked Thurs- islation’s soft spots. Their day on their pieces of themes were clear: Demo- sweeping legislation that crats are overspending, would send $1,400 pay- hurting workers and em- ments to many Americans. ployers’ job markets, being It would also provide hun- too generous to some im- dreds of billions for state migrants, inviting fraud and and local governments rewarding political allies — and to boost vaccination allegations that Democrats efforts, raise tax credits dismiss as ludicrous. In this Feb. 9, 2021, photo, President Joe Biden meets with business leaders to discuss a coronavi- for children and increase rus relief package in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. unemployment benefits. Continued on Page 3 Associated Press A2 FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2021 U.S. NEWS White House says it will defer to CDC on reopening schools By COLLIN BINKLEY na has the “background, AP Education Writer qualifications and temper- Facing criticism that Presi- ament” to become secre- dent Joe Biden has not tary. acted aggressively enough “He’s stressed the need on reopening schools, the for students to get back in White House on Thursday school, and that’s now fi- said it’s aiming for a full re- nally a bipartisan mission,” opening but will defer to Burr said. science experts on how to Biden has made schools achieve it in the middle of a priority as he works to a pandemic. bolster a battered econo- The White House drew criti- my, but critics say he has cism this week when it said scaled back on his goals schools would be consid- amid growing challenges. ered opened if they teach His initial pledge in Decem- in-person at least one day ber was to reopen “the a week. Asked about it majority of our schools” Thursday, press secretary in his first 100 days in of- Jen Psaki said Biden hopes fice. He later specified that to get students in the class- the goal applied only to room five days a week as elementary and middle soon as it’s safe. White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Thursday, schools. And this week, the Psaki did not detail a time- Feb. 11, 2021, in Washington. White House said schools Associated Press line for that milestone, how- would be considered open ever, saying the administra- as long as they teach in- tion will act on new school person once a week. guidance that’s expected Republicans say Biden to be released Friday by is backpedaling on his the Centers for Disease pledge and caving to Control and Prevention. teachers unions that have “I can assure any parent opposed reopening un- listening that his objective, til their demands are met. his commitment, is to ensur- Biden’s critics say schools ing schools are open five are safe to open now, cit- days a week,” Psaki said ing CDC findings that, at a press briefing. “That’s with the right precautions, what he wants to achieve, it’s generally safe to hold and we are going to lead classes in-person. with science and the ad- Asked why parents should vice they are giving us.” be satisfied with just one The task of helping schools day of in-person teach- reopen will fall to the CDC, ing per week, Psaki ap- Psaki said, and to Biden’s peared to back away from pick for education sec- her previous stance. “They retary, Miguel Cardona, shouldn’t be. I wouldn’t be, whose nomination was as a parent,” she said. approved Thursday by the Biden’s $1.9 trillion pan- Senate Health, Education, demic relief plan includes Labor and Pensions Com- $130 billion to help schools mittee. upgrade buildings, buy The panel voted 17-5 in protective equipment and favor of Cardona, who is take other steps to reopen. expected to be approved House Democrats ad- by the full Senate. He won vanced that portion of the support from the commit- package this week using a tee’s ranking Republican, special process enabling Sen. Richard Burr of North them to pass the bill down Carolina, who said Cardo- party lines.q A3 UP FRONT FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2021 GOP attacks Dems’ $1.9T COVID-19 relief bill from all angles Continued from Front between cities and rural said in a statement that areas, which many Repub- Democrats were pushing The proposals signaled licans represent. “liberal wish-list policies” that Biden’s plan faces “I don’t know if the White and accused them of “sid- solid Republican opposi- House knows this, but ing with teachers’ unions,” tion in a House and Senate you’re supposed to be cre- mostly Democratic-friendly where Democrats have ating jobs, not killing them,” organizations that have few votes to spare, while said Texas Rep. Kevin largely opposed reopening forcing Democrats to take Brady, the top Republican schools until they are safer. positions that could tee up on the Ways and Means McCarthy, eyeing 2022 GOP campaign ads for the panel. He said while his elections that he hopes 2022 elections. party has backed over $3 will make him speaker of a There were amendments trillion in earlier pandemic GOP-run House, suggested to reduce the $400 extra relief bills, “whatever this Republicans were ready to in weekly jobless benefits rushed, partisan, special work to restore jobs, reopen Democrats want to pro- interest ‘stimulus’ package schools and provide vac- In this Nov. 12, 2020 file photo House Minority Leader Kevin vide through August and does, it comes with no bi- cines “to those who want McCarthy, R-Calif., talks during a news conference on Capitol exempt the smallest busi- partisan discussion, no op- it.” But he said Democrats’ Hill in Washington. nesses from Democrats’ portunity for finding com- “policy distractions will only Associated Press plans to gradually raise mon ground.” make America weaker lion package. “Big doesn’t for COVID-19 vaccination, the minimum wage to $15 Biden campaigned on re- and bring our recovery to necessarily mean good,” testing, contact tracing hourly from $7.25. Others uniting a country riven by a halt.” said Rep. Anthony Gonza- and treatments. It would in- would limit emergency President Donald Trump’s One by one, commit- lez, R-Ohio. “Let’s go smart. vest $1.75 billion in “genom- grants for undergraduates divisive four years. He met tees were rejecting GOP Let’s go targeted and let’s ic sequencing,” or DNA to U.S. citizens and bar fed- two weeks ago with 10 amendments, mostly on solve the actual need.” mapping of virus samples, eral subsidies for some job- GOP senators to discuss the party-line votes. Democrats The Congressional Budget to identify potentially more based health insurance to COVID-19 plan in a session disputed Republican as- Office expects the econo- dangerous coronavirus mu- people without Social Se- that seemed cordial but sertions that, for example, my to add an average of tations and study how fast curity numbers, effectively has produced no visible a proposed $400 weekly 521,000 jobs a month this they are spreading. targeting many immigrants. movement. pandemic unemployment year, a sign of robust hir- It would also advance long- Other GOP propos- Democrats say attempts to benefit was so generous it ing made possible in part standing Democratic pri- als would put strings on compromise with Republi- would discourage people by government aid. But orities like increasing cover- emergency funds to help cans wasted time and re- from seeking jobs. those gains will likely hinge age under the Obama-era schools reopen safely, re- sulted in a package that “The whole force of this on containing the virus. Em- Affordable Care Act. quiring that schools offer in- proved too small when amendment is to not, quote ployers kicked off 2021 by It dangles a fiscal carrot person classes or give the President Barack Obama unquote, spoil people by adding a mere 49,000 jobs in front of a dozen states, money to parents for edu- sought an economic stim- giving them too much in January as deaths from mainly in the South, that cation savings accounts ulus compromise in 2009, money,” said Rep. Gwen the disease curbed eco- have not yet taken up the if they remain closed. Still his first year. They want to Moore, D-Wis. She said it nomic activity. law’s Medicaid expansion others would make sure finish this initial Biden goal suggested people who’ve Meanwhile, House Demo- to cover more low-income assistance for renters, ho- without any stumbles and lost jobs do not “deserve crats unveiled new details adults, proposing a tem- meowners and the airline before emergency jobless to live above a starvation- of their plan.