Impeachment Process Plays Out in Senate as House Works on COVID Relief

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Currents News Staff

Political theater that’s what former president Donald Trump’s legal team calls the upcoming impeachment trial. But, the impeachment managers see the Senate trial differently and say that while he was in office, President Trump abused his power.

On the eve of Donald Trump’s second Senate trial, House impeachment managers say the former president incited violence with his rhetoric.

We fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell, we’re not going to have a country anymore,” said Trump. 

Trump’s lawyers laid out their case in a pretrial brief Monday, Feb. 8, they say the impeachment itself is unconstitutional. 

“It’s just partisan politics under a different name,” said Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

As the impeachment process plays out in the Senate, the House is working on COVID relief legislation.

But Democrats are divided over whether to include an increase to the minimum wage.

“If you look at who has kept us together, these last almost a year now since COVID hit, it’s people we haven’t thought were worth paying $15 dollars an hour,” said Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan. “We need to pay people what their worth is.”

President Joe Biden doesn’t think the progressive proposal will make it into the final package.

“My guess is it will not be in it,” he said. 

Another sticking point? Stimulus checks.

Moderates want to lower the income threshold and give the full amount to people who make $50,000 a year or less.

“Families making $275,000, $300,000 a year may not be the most in need of checks at this point in time,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

“From a political point of view, a little bit absurd that you would have under Trump these folks getting the benefit,” said Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. “But under Biden, who is fighting hard for the working class of this country, they would not get that full benefit.”

But congressional Democrats do agree on a tax credit to give some families at least $3,000 per child.