This must be one of the biggest wastes of time I’ve ever seen in Congress. Why take the time and effort to do all of this?
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The GOP is trying to slow down passage of the bill so it doesn’t pass until after March 14, because that’s the date when unemployment insurance programs from the previous COVID relief bills expire and many millions of people will come off unemployment assistance provided by the last bill, causing economic havoc and widespread suffering under Biden’s watch.
One step is they can force the bill to be read out loud, sucking up about a day of time.
That’s the point of this. It’s an intentional slow down. That’s all there is to it. They have also stated they plan to continuously offer amendments that need to be voted on, non stop, as another delaying method after they finish reading the bill.
Nothing happens in Congress until they vote. Before the vote occurs, members of Congress are allowed to present their case to try to convince others to vote in their favor. This allowance provides an opportunity for those who know that the majority will vote against their favor… to try to drag this period out for as long as possible… which is called the filibuster.
The Republicans know that this will help Americans so to try to delay the vote, they’re reading the document out loud.
It probably started as a Senate rule prior to the days of photo copy machines, so it made sense to read the bill out loud so the Senators and press knew what was in it without having a copy of it. Unfortunately, the rule has stuck around despite its uselessness and waste of time, mainly for political reasons.
The QOP is being naughty and having a temper tantrum because they are not getting their way.
It *is* a huge waste of time, but only one Member of Congress needs to act to force it, and the Congresswoman doing so is crazy and wants to disrupt random shit so she can go home and say “look, I stuck it to the establishment”. House Republicans are apparently getting fed up with her, but just because it means more busywork – they don’t want the bills to pass either but this doesn’t stop them, just slows them.
They want it on record and maybe get some highlights out of the fact that only a very low percentage of 1.9 trillion dollars of the bill is going to actually help the American people with covid 19. The democreats are filling it up with pork to bail out blue states and cities that helped get ChIna Joe elected. Also reading out loud so American people will know that 335million for Arts and Library, 90 billion to infastruture, 12billion to airlines, 40billion to colleges, 50million to family planning aka planned parenthood, paid covid leave for federal workers ONLY, 16billion affordable Care act, 50million for “environmental Justice act” and hundreds more. Already taken off the bill. 100million for Nancy Pelosi pet project subway, 1.5million Chuck Schumet pet project bridge to Canada, 15 an hour minimum wage. Not everyone is going to read the bill and by someone reading it will highlight all the overspending these idiots are doing. If anyone thinks this bill is a good idea you better remember that little measly 1400 is going to cost in taxes 10,000 times over so Nancy Pelosi can bailout California and New York. Pretty sleazy trying to tack on all this pork, without the pork you would of already gotten your money.
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