House Democrats on Tuesday released their latest proposal for coronavirus relief — a massive package designed largely to press reluctant GOP leaders in the Senate…
House Democrats on Tuesday released their latest proposal for coronavirus relief — a massive package designed largely to press reluctant GOP leaders in the Senate and White House to get moving on another infusion of emergency aid.
Much of the enormous proposal was expected, providing hundreds of billions of dollars for medical workers, states, small businesses and those left jobless as a result of the expansive economic lockdown sparked by the deadly pandemic.
Yet in choosing to craft the bill without Republican input, Democratic leaders freed themselves to pile the package high with a host of partisan proposals favored by the various factions of their diverse progressive base. And the final product, unveiled Tuesday afternoon by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), featured a number of unexpected provisions sure to grab outsized attention — and criticism from across the aisle.
Here are a few of the more unusual proposals tucked into the $3 trillion package:
Inspector general protections
In a shot at the White House, the Democrats’ legislation would neuter President Trump’s power to fire inspectors general without a specific cause.
The proposal comes just weeks after Trump dismissed Glenn Fine, the acting Pentagon inspector general who was slated to lead oversight of Congress’ coronavirus response, as well as Michael Atkinson, the top watchdog for the intelligence community. Atkinson’s decision to inform Congress of a whistleblower complaint related to Trump’s dealings with Ukraine led to the president’s impeachment in December — and prompted accusations that Trump had fired him as retribution for the humiliating episode.
Under the Democrats’ proposal, the president can remove an inspector general only on specific grounds, including abuse of power, “permanent incapacity,” neglect and “conviction of a felony or conduct involving moral turpitude.”
Mandatory masks on Amtrak
While congressional lawmakers are under no obligation to wear masks in the Capitol, the Democrats want to make it mandatory for those on Amtrak — employees and passengers alike — to do so.
