“Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) spoke on Tuesday as part of a bipartisan group of senators proposing a COVID-19 relief bill, arguing that even he, a self-described “deficit hawk,” saw the need to assist Americans living through a global pandemic. “COVID has created a crisis, and in a crisis, people expect Congress to act,” the Republican said in a press briefing. “This group has come together to propose action that could respond to this crisis,” he added, saying it would be “simply unacceptable” not to do so. Romney added that he doesn’t like borrowing money or “spending money we don’t have,” but that “the time to borrow money — maybe the only time to borrow money — is when there’s a crisis, and this is a crisis.” .@SenatorRomney: \”I happen to be a deficit hawk. I don’t like borrowing money. I don’t like spending money we don’t have. But the time to borrow money, maybe the only time to borrow money, is where there’s a crisis and this is a crisis. We want to help people.\” pic.twitter.com/v8C6HxolLj— CSPAN (@cspan) December 1, 2020 Romney clarified that the bipartisan proposal is not a “$1.8 trillion stimulus bill,” but rather a “relief measure” for half that amount. Specifically, the $908 billion plan is intended as a middle ground to break the monthslong congressional stalemate during which Democrats under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Republicans under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have been unable to agree on a singular economic response plan. The House passed both a $3 trillion stimulus package in May and a smaller $2.2 trillion plan in October that failed to get through the Senate, with McConnell calling the price tag “outlandish.” McConnell, for his part, has attempted to pass a $500 billion package that Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have blocked, arguing that it is not enough. Aside from Romney, the lawmakers negotiating the compromise include Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Angus King (I-Maine) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).
Trump Administration Lowballs Unemployment Benefits In New COVID-19 Offer
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["The latest stimulus offer from the White House comes with one-time $600 payments for most Americans and a lump of coal for the unemployed. The new proposal offered by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin swapped the $3...
Studies Suggest AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Safe And Effective
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["New results on a possible COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and about 70% effective, but questions remain about how well it may help protect those over 55 — a key concern for...
COVID-19 Deaths, Georgia Elections And Trump Pardons: Views From HuffPost Readers
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["HuffPost Illustration In a recent poll, one of HuffPost members’ top-requested features was a roundup of reader comments. Every week, HuffPost editors read your comments on our top stories and highlight those that c...
Singer Jeremih Leaves Hospital After COVID-19 Battle, Says He’s ‘Forever Grateful’
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["Singer Jeremih has been released from the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after battling COVID-19 during his stay, his family said. The 33-year-old R&B artist, whose real name is Jeremy Felton, thanked th...
Tuesday Is ‘V-Day’ In Britain; First Citizens Will Get COVID-19 Vaccine
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["LONDON (AP) — It’s been dubbed “V-Day” in Britain ― recalling the D-Day landings in France that marked the start of the final push in World War II to defeat Nazi Germany. A week after the U.K. became the first Weste...
Selma Blair And Sarah Michelle Gellar Redo ‘Cruel Intentions’ Kiss For COVID-19 Era
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["More than 20 years after they co-starred in “Cruel Intentions,” Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar continue to find ways to reference their legendary screen kiss. The actors made a virtual appearance at Sunday’s...
FBI Urges COVID-19 Retests For Those Tested At New Jersey Lab
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["ASSOCIATED PRESS A nurse uses a swab to perform a coronavirus test in Salt Lake City. The FBI in New Jersey is asking anyone who received a COVID-19 test at a lab along the Jersey Shore to get retested as soon as po...
States Scramble To Curb COVID-19 Without National Leadership
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["NEW YORK (Reuters) - Individual U.S. states scrambled on Sunday to impose lockdowns to stem coronavirus spikes amid a lack of national leadership on how to curb infections until vaccines are widely available in the ...