I never imagined I’d spend more than a few minutes of my life writing about Republican Senator Pat Toomey, but circumstances have conspired to make Toomey the subject of multiple articles published here recently, at least one of which was quite lengthy.
Toomey, you’re reminded, very nearly caused a government shutdown earlier this month when he attempted to insert what Democrats called superfluous language into the latest virus relief bill. Long story short, Toomey tried to bind the Fed’s hands going forward, specifically with regard to the central bank’s capacity to facilitate loans to state and local governments. Funding for state and local governments is a contentious subject, and Republicans have pushed back against direct aid, characterizing it as a “bailout.”
For his part, Toomey sought to play down the spat, while Democrats charged that the senator’s proposed language was part of a broader effort to indirectly limit Janet Yellen’s capacity to facilitate fiscal-monetary partnerships aimed at furthering socioeconomic reform. Honestly, I’m not sure either side fully understood their own positions, let alone the gravity of the debate itself, which goes well beyond any esoteric (i.e., legal) discussions about what is and isn’t appropriate vis-à-vis 13(3).
Fast forward a week from the eleventh hour drama created by Toomey’s “concerns” about the Fed, and Pat is irritated with Donald Trump.
Trump’s refusal to sign the stimulus legislation, which was attached to the government funding bill, means that unemployment benefits have effectively already lapsed. Further delays risk bumping up against the expiration of eviction moratoriums, delaying aid to small businesses, and, possibly, a government shutdown.
If you ask Toomey, Trump should just sign the current legislation and then come back to Congress and request more stimulus checks if that’s what he really wants.
“You don’t get everything you want, even if you’re the president of the United States,” Toomey told Fox. “We have two legislative bodies and Democrats control one, Republicans control the other.”
“I think what he ought to do is sign this bill and then make the case. Congress can pass another bill,” Toomey added, noting that Democrats will surely support additional direct payments.
Towards the end of his remarks, Toomey warned Trump that if he continues down the road towards holding up the stimulus legislation and the defense bill, history books will not be kind while describing his last several weeks in office.
“I understand he wants to be remembered for advocating for big checks, but the danger is he’ll be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior if he allows this to expire,” Toomey cautioned. “The best thing to do is sign this.”
I’m reminded of a November piece in The New Yorker by comedian John Mulaney offered an analogy for Trump’s managerial style,” Osnos wrote. “He compared the President to ‘a horse loose in a hospital,’ a wild-eyed creature dangerously out of place. ‘No one knows what the horse is going to do next, least of all the horse,’ Mulaney said.”
Read more: Nero 2024
John Mulaney is my favorite alive comedian, for sure.
H, you probably can’t disclose this- but it would be really interesting to know how many members of Congress are signed up for Heisenberg Report.
History will not be kind to any Republican member of the 166th Congress. Except maybe Lisa Murkowski and Justin Amish, who bailed when, to his horrow, he realized what the party had become under Trump.
My bad. 116th Congress.
Trump “risks” being remembered for chaos… , That ship has sailed.