quote:

Originally posted by wtg:

FIFP.

Pence: Dear Leader, sir, this day should be a day of inspiration to every American. Because of your very stable genius and truly superhuman leadership, Dear Leader. Because of your decisive superhuman action, Dear Leader. Throughout this process, Dear Leader you've put the health of America first (insert: Except if you were on a cruise ship off San Fran). Oh, great and wise Mr Pres who has been sent to us from God above, whom we revere above all others, Dear Leader, you've forged a seamless partnership with public officials and private..., Dear Leader (salutes crisply and genuflects at the same time).

quote:

House lawmakers scaled back their efforts Monday night to offer millions of Americans paid sick and family leave, a weak link in the nation's fight to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act originally passed with wide bipartisan support early Saturday morning but faced some objections from Republicans, particularly over the impact of the paid leave program on businesses. The House approved a set of changes Monday by unanimous consent, clearing the path for the Senate to consider it.

The revised legislation would still provide many workers with up to two weeks of paid sick leave if they are being tested or treated for coronavirus or have been diagnosed with it. Also eligible would be those who have been told by a doctor or government official to stay home because of exposure or symptoms.

Under the revised bill, however, those payments would be capped at $511 a day, roughly what someone making $133,000 earns annually. The original measure called for workers to receive their full pay but limited federal reimbursement to employers to that amount.

Also, workers with family members affected by coronavirus and those whose children's schools have closed would still receive up to two-thirds of their pay, though that benefit would now be limited to $200 a day.

Also curtailed was the bill's paid family leave provision, which now calls for providing workers with two-thirds of their pay for up to another 10 weeks only if their children's schools are closed. The revisions also limit those payments to $200 a day, which would cover two-thirds of the typical daily wage of someone earning up to $75,000 annually, Romig said.

The original bill would also have covered a worker who has been diagnosed, tested or quarantined or is being treated for coronavirus, or someone caring for an affected family member. And it would have only placed a cap on employers' reimbursements from the federal government, not on the funds workers receive.
The changes to the family leave provision is a "huge erosion" of the original bill, said Vicki Shabo, senior fellow at New America, a left-leaning think tank.

"The bill no longer protects workers who need to deal with a longer-term health need of their own or a family members' related to coronavirus," she said.

Businesses, particularly small employers, had raised concerns that they could not afford to offer such benefits, even if they would be largely reimbursed by the federal government through quarterly tax credits.
A small business industry group said the bill would impose "potentially unsustainable mandates" on its members. Many have already been negatively affected by the coronavirus outbreak, Kevin Kuhlman, senior director at the National Federation of Independent Businesses, wrote in a letter Friday to House leaders.

"Unfortunately, some small employers simply do not have the operating budget to afford paid family and medical leave," Kuhlman wrote. "By requiring small businesses to shoulder additional burdens and costs, small businesses who cannot afford to keep up will close."

The paid leave provisions in the original bill would have cost just over $100 billion, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. They would expire at the end of the year.

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
Introduced the head of Walmart. "When we got the call yesterday from the White House to pitch in, we agreed to allow use of our parking lots for drive-thru testing".

Then they shook hands.