On Thursday, February 7, both Senate Republicans and Democrats have agreed to include both 20 million senior citizens and a quarter of a million disabled veterans to the economic aid package that was passed by the House which ends the partisan stalemate.
The breakthrough that resulted in a compromise came when Senate Democrats who were pressured by House Democrats to drop the insistence on adding benefits to the jobless and say they would allow a vote on a plan that extends the tax rebates to those on Social Security and disabled veterans.
Under the package, rebates up to $600 for individuals and up to $1,200 for couples would be rushed to most taxpayers along with granting tax cuts to businesses in hopes or giving life to the economy.
Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, the Senate Minority Leader said that they are solidifying the deal and a vote will happen.
“We’re on the verge here of an important bipartisan accomplishment,” McConnell explains.
Democrats in the Senate had insisted that 13 weeks of added jobless benefits, home heating subsidies, and new tax refunds for coal producers and struggling corporations to be added to the stimulus plan. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, the Senate Majority Leader had vowed to vote on some of those things in the future.
“We all have to acknowledge that the House bill has been improved significantly… We’ll be back and do more things to help stimulate the economy,” Reid explained.