Republicans abandon impeachment proceedings

Impeachment plans get unexpected nudge – from Republicans – but for now, Pence is with Trump. It’s Wednesday and this is your political tip. Sign up here to get On Politics to your inbox every weekday.

Trump toured areas where a border wall is being built near Alamo, Texas yesterday.

Bernie Sanders will control the reconciliation process in a divided Senate.

One under-the-radar story in Washington is that West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has just become the most powerful man in town. With the 50:50 split in the Senate and scrutiny over the Democrats, its most conservative member could find himself in a position to play Solomon on important legislative issues.

A narrowly divided Senate also increases the importance of another personality: Senator Bernie Sanders. This is because, as chairman of the Chamber’s Committee on Budgets, he controls the process of “reconciliation”, in which certain types of laws can be passed by simple majority and not filibusted.

As the new chairman of the Committee on Budgets, Sanders will be able to have a significant influence on a range of domestic policies. At the top of that list is another stimulus package, and Sanders has expressed intent to request an additional $ 1,400 in stimulus payments for Americans who recently received $ 600 checks.

“I think the crisis is very serious and we have to move forward as quickly as possible,” said Sanders Alan Rappeport and Jim Tankersley for a new article.

“Underline the word aggressive,” he said. “Start there.”

In a polarized political era, the process of reconciliation has become increasingly popular when trying to pass important laws. Congress used it to pass tax cuts under Trump and President George W. Bush and to pass the final version of President Barack Obama’s health bill.

Joe Biden welcomed Sanders’ contribution when setting up his platform ahead of the general election, but he ultimately did not offer the Senator a seat in his cabinet as many on the left had asked.

Biden said last week he was considering Sanders as labor secretary but decided to keep him in the Senate so that Democrats could be sure they would keep their majority.

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