(By Fifth District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver)Since coronavirus came to our shores over a year ago, it has been a formidable foe that has taken over 450,000 of our fellow Americans and devastated our national economy.
While previous relief packages passed by Congress have provided a lifeline to Missouri families, workers, and small businesses, more must be done to keep families and businesses afloat. With the January jobs report showing a third-straight month of anemic job growth--and having recovered just over half of the tens of millions of jobs lost since last March--it's clear that we're still clawing out of the hole COVID-19 blew into our economy and that Congress must act urgently to keep us from sliding back into a recession.
This week, Congress passed a Budget Resolution that gives us another tool to ensure a substantial relief package can be passed before the end of February.
This week, Congress passed a Budget Resolution that gives us another tool to ensure a substantial relief package can be passed before the end of February.
By passing the budget resolution, we have given ourselves the ability to pass legislation through a procedure called "Budget Reconciliation."
This is a process that allows Congress to pass a spending bill without having to overcome a filibuster in the Senate--something that was done twice during the Presidency of George W. Bush and once in 2017 under President Trump.
Reconciliation by no means precludes my colleagues across the aisle from working with Democrats to concoct this desperately needed relief package, and I'm hopeful they will do so. However, we cannot allow Washington gridlock to stop us from passing a package that delivers direct payments to families, extends unemployment insurance for workers, funds the distribution of vaccines, provides rental and housing assistance, supports small businesses, and more.
Reconciliation by no means precludes my colleagues across the aisle from working with Democrats to concoct this desperately needed relief package, and I'm hopeful they will do so. However, we cannot allow Washington gridlock to stop us from passing a package that delivers direct payments to families, extends unemployment insurance for workers, funds the distribution of vaccines, provides rental and housing assistance, supports small businesses, and more.
For that reason, I supported the budget resolution and will continue pushing for an ambitious relief bill to support Missourians and the American people. You can find more information on my support for this resolution here.
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