Vote Over Stimulus Payments Divide Democrats
From Politico:
An effort to restrict stimulus checks to undocumented immigrants is blowing a hole in Democrats’ unity in the Biden era, after a bloc of Democrats sided with Republicans over their more progressive colleagues last week. The immigration status of those seeking new stimulus payments is shaping up as a major point of contention among Democrats as the House and Senate write their coronavirus relief bills, presaging the tough fights ahead among the party’s tight majorities in Congress on a politically volatile issue–broader immigration reform and most notably legalization for more than Dreamers.
The proposal last week from Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) would bar stimulus benefits like checks or tax breaks from going to undocumented immigrants. The Democratic senators who voted for the Young amendment also included Sens. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Mark Kelly of Arizona. Both Hassan and Kelly are up for re-election in 2022.
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