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Senators push for reopening of worldwide journey, raise of CDC’s crusing ban

Senators push for reopening of international travel, lift of CDC's sailing ban

People wait for their luggage in the terminal of Boston Logan International Airport in Boston.

Erin Clark | Boston Globe | Getty Images

A new Senate Travel and Tourism subcommittee held its first hearing on Tuesday calling on the U.S. government to take concrete steps to boost U.S. tourism after a devastating 2020.

Legislators have been eager to see when international entry restrictions that have hit tourism-dependent states like Florida, Nevada and Washington would be lifted, including pushing for a way for cruise lines to resume sailing.

“There is reluctance to map out a roadmap for reopening international travel,” said Tori Barnes, executive vice president of the US Travel Association.

She said resuming international travel would shorten the recovery time for the rundown travel industry.

Lawmakers also suggested that greater cabinet-level representation of travel would help travel and tourism.

“There is no cabinet-level position focused on tourism. We believe leadership is needed,” Barnes said.

Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan raised concerns about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers’ conditional sailing order for the cruise lines.

The Republican senator recently met with CDC director Rochelle Walensky and said, “She really had no idea about these issues. Cruise lines in America through mid-July were what she thought possible … none of it turned out to be true.”

Earlier Tuesday, Sullivan, along with Florida Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, announced a bill aimed at overriding the CDC’s current framework for cruise ship return to sea. In this new piece of legislation, known as the CRUISE Act or Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements, lawmakers are urging U.S. health officials to change the current guidelines.

The proposal is just the latest effort by Republican lawmakers in states that rely heavily on the industry to urge the CDC to come up with a clearer schedule for cruise lines. Democratic officials from Florida were particularly silent when the cruise lines were taken out of service.

Over the past year, several Democratic lawmakers have taken steps to block funding from the cruise industry.

“You are not American … You do not pay any taxes in the United States,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., In mid-March 2020.

But Florida and Alaska’s economies are feeling the effects after more than a year without cruising.

In the first six months of the pandemic, Florida lost $ 3.2 billion to the cruise industry shutdown, including nearly 50,000 jobs that paid $ 2.3 billion in wages, according to a September 2020 report by the Federal Maritime Commission.

Meanwhile, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy estimated that the overall impact of the 2020 and 2021 cruises being canceled will result in more than $ 3.3 billion in domestic product loss.

Last Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis filed a lawsuit against the CDC, calling the agency’s existing policies “irrational”.

Dunleavy was also critical. In a strong statement last week to Jeff Zients, Coordinator of the White House’s Covid-19 Task Force, Dunleavy wrote, “The CDC’s recent decision to extend the 2020” conditional sail order “effectively removes any potential for one Cruise season 2021 and puts the future of thousands of family businesses in Alaska at risk. “

The CDC has stated that coronavirus is easy to spread in a cruise environment and has advised caution. The latest guidelines suggest that daily reporting of Covid disease, frequent testing and vaccinations are required if crossings are allowed to resume.

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Politics

GOP senators who voted to question Trump going through warmth at residence

GOP senators who voted to impeach Trump facing heat at home

The seven Republican Senators who voted with all 50 Democrats to convict former President Donald Trump for inciting the January 6 insurrection in the Capitol are now exposed to the heat of Conservatives in their home states.

Party leaders and local GOP officials, many of whom are trying to find favor with the broad swath of conservative voters still loyal to Trump, have condemned the seven lawmakers for engaging with the rest of the party.

The criticism illustrates the strong influence Trump continues to have nationally against Republicans despite his defeat in November and subsequent refusal to admit defeat.

Polls conducted after last month’s attack on Congress continue to show that Trump has a sky-high approval rating among Republicans and that roughly half of the GOP are primarily loyal to the ex-president himself rather than the party.

The Senate acquitted Trump on Saturday after an unprecedented second impeachment process with 57 to 43 votes.

While Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only GOP member to vote against Trump after his first trial, this time there were six more: Richard Burr from North Carolina, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, Susan Collins from Maine Lisa Murkowski from Alaska , Ben Sasse from Nebraska and Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania.

Some of the senators, including Cassidy, have already been reprimanded by official reprimands from their state party, while many of the others are criticized by local conservatives. Cassidy was censored by the Louisiana GOP a few hours after his vote.

The backlash against Sasse, which is also expected to face formal criticism, was directly mentioned by one of Trump’s Senate defenders.

“There seem to be some pretty clever lawyers in Nebraska, and I can’t believe the United States Senator doesn’t know,” Bruce Castor Jr. said during an at times confusing address. Castor said Sasse “is facing a whirlwind, even though he knows what the judiciary thinks in his state.”

Based on previous comments criticizing Trump, local GOP chapters in several Nebraska counties have passed resolutions calling for Sasse’s criticism, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. A meeting of the state GOP to officially reprimand the senator has been postponed because of the weather, the newspaper reported.

Burr, a senior Republican whose election to condemn Trump came as a surprise to most observers, also drew fire from home-state Conservatives.

“The Republicans of North Carolina sent Senator Burr to the United States Senate to uphold the Constitution and today’s vote to condemn a process he ruled unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing,” said Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley, in a statement.

Burr is not seeking re-election for a fourth term in the Senate. Mark Walker, a Republican aspiring to succeed him in 2022, wrote in a post on Twitter shortly after the vote on Saturday: “Wrong vote, Sen. Burr,” and added a donation message.

Toomey could also face “possible setbacks at home”, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The newspaper reported that in response to Toomey’s vote, Lawrence Tabas, the state’s GOP chairman, said he shared “the disappointment of many of our grassroots leaders and volunteers.”

Overall, the backlash is unlikely to cause election damage in the short term. Six of the seven Republicans will not be re-elected next year in the 2022 cycle. Only Murkowski, who has served in the Senate since 2002, faces an upcoming re-election campaign.

Some have speculated that the impeachment vote in Alaska could give former Governor Sarah Palin an impetus to run in a primary. Palin herself has fueled rumors that she would be entering the race.

Each of the seven Republicans who voted to condemn Trump have defended their decision in statements and posts on social media. In a video posted online before the vote, Sasse reiterated his warnings about Republicans’ loyalty to Trump, saying “Politics is not about strange worship of a man.”

Toomey admitted in a thread on Posts on Twitter that Trump’s attorneys “made several precise observations” during their arguments. But he said, “As a result of President Trump’s actions, the transfer of power from the president was not peaceful for the first time in American history.”

“His betrayal of the constitution and his oath of office required conviction,” wrote Toomey, defending his decision.

Cassidy said in an interview on ABC News on Sunday that he “tried to hold President Trump accountable” and that Cassidy was “very confident that people will move to that position over time”.

“The Republican Party is more than just a person. The Republican Party is about ideas,” he said.

CNBC has reached out to each of the seven Republican lawmakers.

Criticism of the Senators reflects previous attacks on the House Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment in the lower chamber. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was censored by Republicans in her state after her House colleagues unsuccessfully urged her to be removed from her leadership role.

Some Republicans who didn’t even vote for Trump’s impeachment have been criticized for not being respectful enough of the ex-president. For example, Senate Minority Chairman Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Voted in favor of the acquittal, but harshly criticized Trump’s January 6 rally speech, accusing him of being responsible for the day’s violence.

Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., sentenced McConnell on Sunday for the speech.

“I think Sen. McConnell’s speech obviously took a burden off his chest, but unfortunately he put a burden on the Republicans,” Graham told Fox News. “You will see this speech in campaigns in 2022.”

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Home managers present senators beforehand unseen, graphic Capitol safety footage from Jan. 6.

House managers show senators previously unseen, graphic Capitol security footage from Jan. 6.

Whispered, panicked calls from frightened employees barricaded in an office. Violent scenes of broken windows and pushed open doors. Frenzied audio between Capitol cops.

On the second day of the impeachment trial, the House impeachment managers showed Senators previously unseen Capitol security footage and displayed a terrifying portrait of the violence that the pro-Trump mob sparked in the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The new evidence was presented by Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, who created a methodical narrative of the day and timestamped each new video. Representative Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California, continued the presentation.

When it began, Ms. Plaskett recalled the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and reported that a plane was heading for the Capitol.

“Almost every day I remember 44 Americans giving their lives to stop the plane that went to this Capitol,” said Ms. Plaskett, who was serving as the adjutant at the time. “I thank them every day for saving my life and that of many other people. These Americans sacrificed their lives for the love of the country, honor, duty, and all the things America means. The Capitol stands because of such people. “

As each new video and audio clip was introduced, a map of the Capitol remained in the lower corner of the screen, with a red dot tracking the progress of the rioters in the building while more violent images flickered across the screen.

In one scene, Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney was walking down a corridor where he met Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, who appeared to be warning him of the progress of the rioters. Mr. Romney ran off.

Security footage from the Capitol showed the mob pounding through windows first to break through the building before turning to other doors to break them open from the inside as rioters flooded in. Ms. Plaskett recalled the threats the rioters had made publicly against the lives of California spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence.

“You were talking about the assassination of the Vice President of the United States,” said Ms. Plaskett. She added that Mr. Pence and his family never left the Capitol during the siege.

After Ms. Plaskett played scenes of lawmakers and their coworkers escaping to safety, she played audio of frightened coworkers from Ms. Pelosi’s office barricaded in a room.

“We need the Capitol Police to get into the hall,” said one, and whispered into a phone in the hope that the rioters outside would not hear anything.

Mr. Swalwell introduced perhaps the cruelest video showing the moment when Ashli ​​Babbitt, one of the rioters, was killed and warned viewers before playing the clip that it would be graphic.

As the impeachment executives played videos and never-before-heard recordings of radio communications from the Capitol Police on January 6, senators from both parties sat in tense silence. Many tried to get a better view. In the back row on the Democratic side, Senators Mark Warner from Virginia and Michael Bennet from Colorado stood up to watch.

On the Republican side, the senators showed little emotion, but paid close attention to it. Many turned their heads from the video screens just to take notes.

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Politics

Senators say they’ll push pot invoice in 2021

Senators say they will push pot bill in 2021

An employee holds up a jar of marijuana for sale after it became legal in the state to sell recreational marijuana to customers over the age of 21 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Illinois will begin legal marijuana sales on January 1, 2020.

Matthew Hatcher | Reuters

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and two other Democratic Senators said Monday they will be pushing for sweeping law passed this year that would end the federal marijuana ban, legalized to some extent by many states.

This reform would also provide so-called restorative justice to people convicted of pot-related crimes, the senators said in a joint statement.

“The war on drugs was a war against people – especially people with skin color,” said a statement by Schumer of New York and Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ron Wyden of Oregon.

“Ending the federal marijuana ban is necessary to eradicate the wrongs of this failed war and end decades of damage that has been done to color communities across the country,” they said.

“But that alone is not enough. As states continue to legalize marijuana, we must also take action to raise people who were wrongly targeted in the war on drugs.”

The senators said they would release “a single draft discussion on major reforms” earlier this year and that passing the law will be a priority for the Senate.

The trio also said the legislation would not only end the federal pot ban and ensure restorative justice, it would “protect public health and introduce responsible taxes and regulations”.

A few years ago Schumer supported the legislation to decriminalize marijuana.

The statement comes as public support for legal marijuana has grown. A Gallup poll in November found that 68% of Americans, a record high, are in favor of legalizing marijuana.

Any initiative that included decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana on the ballot in 2020 has been passed.

Voters in New Jersey and Arizona decided to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use. Mississippi voted to legalize medical marijuana use, and South Dakota legalized the drug for both recreational and medical use.

To date, 15 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational adult use, and 36 states allow the drug to be used medicinally.

Oregon is the first country to decriminalize hard drugs.

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Health

Republican senators current smaller Covid proposal

Republican senators present smaller Covid proposal

Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Iran-US relations on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, the United States, on Wednesday, October 16, 2019.

Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images

WASHINGTON – A group of 10 Republican Senators urged President Joe Biden to consider a smaller, alternative proposal for Covid-19 aid as his administration works to pass a $ 1.9 trillion package, to deal with the economic consequences caused by the pandemic.

In a letter to Biden on Sunday, Sens. Susan Collins from Maine, Mitt Romney from Utah, Rob Portman from Ohio, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska and five other lawmakers said they would announce their legislative proposals on Monday.

“We recognize your demands for unity and would like to work in good faith with your administration to meet the health, economic and social challenges of the Covid crisis,” wrote the senators.

“We believe that with your support, Congress can once again work out a relief package that will provide meaningful and effective relief to the American people and get us on the road to recovery,” the group wrote, asking to meet with Biden on the subject to discuss the proposed law in detail.

The senators said their version of the Covid relief package is “providing more targeted assistance” to Americans in greatest need. The proposed legislation provides a total of $ 160 billion for vaccine development and distribution, testing and tracking, treatment, and other vital supplies.

The senators set the following details of their plan:

  • An additional round of economic impact payments for families in need of help most, including their dependent children and adults.
  • Extends the federal government’s improved unemployment benefits to the current level.
  • Funds food aid entirely to help families in trouble.
  • Additional resources to support small businesses and their employees through the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.
  • Funds funds for the safe opening of schools and for childcare.
  • Dedicated $ 4 billion to strengthen behavioral health and substance abuse services.

On Sunday, Portman told CNN’s State of the Union that the proposal would be a leaner version of what was put forward by the Biden administration.

“It would be less than $ 1.9 [trillion] Because a lot of what the government has planned has nothing to do with Covid-19, “Portman said.” As an example of the direct payments, we think they should be much more targeted, “he added.

Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, told MSNBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that the White House had received the letter and was open to discussing the proposed legislation.

“The president has said repeatedly that he is open to ideas wherever they may come to improve the approach to actually dealing with this crisis. What he is uncompromising is the need to quickly take a comprehensive approach here,” Deese said .

“We have been working with members of Congress from both parties and in both Houses for the past week or two. We will continue to do so,” he added.

Deese also told CNN’s State of the Union that the government was ready to negotiate the stimulus checks.

CNBC’s Tucker Higgins and Emma Newburger contributed to this report from New York.

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Politics

11 Republican senators push to delay certification of Biden victory

11 Republican senators push to delay certification of Biden victory

Eleven GOP senators and elected senators will press for the delay in confirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump in the electoral college during a formal joint session of Congress on Wednesday, they said in a statement.

The Senators, led by Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, cited allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election for which they presented no evidence and which have been repeatedly rejected by courts across the country.

The Justice Department said it found no evidence of widespread fraud in the elections.

Efforts to reverse the latest of dozen Republican attempts to undo Trump’s loss are unlikely to change the electoral college’s record, which Biden won between 306 and 232. Biden is expected to be inaugurated on January 20th.

In their statement, the senators said they would object to the certification of voters from “controversial states” unless Congress sets up a commission to review those states’ elections. The commission would conduct a “10-day emergency audit,” they wrote.

“Once completed, individual states would evaluate the results of the commission and, if necessary, could convene a special legislative session to confirm a change in their vote,” the senators said in the statement.

Mike Gwin, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, said in a statement: “This stunt will not change the fact that President-elect Biden will be sworn in on Jan. 20. These unsubstantiated claims have already been examined and rejected by Trump’s own.” Attorney General, dozens of courts and election officials from both parties. “

Marc Elias, a Democratic election attorney who has overseen the Biden campaign’s response to many of the lawsuits against the 2020 election, wrote in a post on Twitter that there is “no way” that the GOP efforts will “change the election result.” .

The Senators who signed the declaration are Cruz, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., James Lankford, R-Okla., Steve Daines, R-Mont., John Kennedy, R-La., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn . and Mike Braun, R-Ind.

The elected Senators who signed it are Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. The elected senators will officially take office on Sunday.

Wednesday’s joint congressional session, usually a formality, takes place when lawmakers are required to officially count the electoral college votes given to each presidential candidate and announce the winner. Vice President Mike Pence will chair the session as President of the Senate.

If at least one senator and one member of the House of Representatives object to the results of a state, the joint session is suspended and the House and Senate meet separately for a maximum of two hours to consider the objection. A majority of both houses of Congress must approve the objection and reject the votes of the electoral college.

While the Republicans control the 100-member Senate, the Democrats hold a majority in the House of Representatives, making it virtually impossible for an objection to have a realistic chance of success.

In their statement, the senators acknowledge that their plan has little chance of success and that they “expect most, if not all, Democrats and perhaps more than a few Republicans” to vote against them.

In a post on Twitter, the campaign wrote “THANK YOU!” and listed the names of all eleven current and incoming Senators, as well as Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who previously said he would object to electoral college certification.

“It is encouraging to see so many patriots emerge calling for an investigation into the rampant electoral fraud and irregularities we saw on November 3rd,” Jenna Ellis, senior legal advisor for the campaign, said in a statement.

Efforts to reverse Biden’s victory have drawn fire from the Democrats and an increasing number of Republicans. In December, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Urged his party not to object to the results of the electoral college.

“The electoral college has spoken. So today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” McConnell said on December 15, after the electoral college officially confirmed Biden’s victory and weeks after NBC News and other major media outlets announced the outcome of the race.

John Thune, RS.D., has repeatedly said that Trump’s efforts to ditch the results are likely to go down like a “shot dog”.

Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, the 2012 GOP presidential candidate, said Hawley’s move was “disappointing and destructive”.

Following Saturday’s announcement, Senator Pat Toomey, R-Penn. Said that Hawley and Cruz “are undermining the right of the people to choose their own leaders”.

“The senators justify their intention by saying that there have been many allegations of fraud. But allegations of fraud from a losing campaign cannot justify overturning an election,” Toomey said. “They do not acknowledge that these allegations were heard in courtrooms across America and not supported by evidence.”

Toomey added that he voted for Trump and approved him for re-election. “But on Wednesday I intend to vigorously defend our form of government by opposing these efforts to disenfranchise millions of voters in my state and others,” he said.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in a statement earlier in the day that she would vote to count the electoral college’s votes.

“I took an oath to support and defend the United States Constitution, and I will do it on January 6 – just as I want to do every day as I serve the people of Alaska,” Murkowski said.

“The courts and state lawmakers have all done their duty to hear legal allegations and have found nothing to justify reversing the results,” she added. “I urge my colleagues from both parties to acknowledge this and, together with me, maintain confidence in the electoral college and our elections so that we can ensure that we continue to have the confidence of the American people.”

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