Republicans scramble to prevent year-end legislative disaster
By Alexander Bolton and Juliegrace Brufke - 12/24/20 06:00 AM EST
Republican leaders in both chambers are scrambling to get a bipartisan coronavirus relief and government funding package across the finish line and avert a year-end disaster after President Trump unexpectedly voiced last-minute objections to the legislation passed by Congress earlier this week.
Washington was blindsided Tuesday evening by Trump’s lengthy criticism of the $900 billion COVID-19 relief measure and $1.4 trillion omnibus that needs to be signed in the coming days to avoid a government shutdown.
Now, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump’s most loyal Senate allies, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are trying to salvage the $2.3 trillion package, GOP sources said.
Graham is pushing for a vote on $2,000 stimulus checks, instead of the $600 direct payments in the bipartisan bill, and a sunset of Section 230 in the Communications Decency Act that shields social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter from lawsuits for content posted on their sites. Trump on Wednesday vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act for, among other things, not including a repeal of Section 230.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/531544-republicans-scramble-to-prevent-year-end-legislative-disaster
