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Biden Encourages Congress to Call Trump Out for Refusal to Concede and to Enact COVID-19 Stimulus Legislation: President-elect Joe Biden gave a stern warning to Congress regarding the implications of failing to act on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. In an address to reporters on Monday, Biden warned the audience that President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede and hand the official transition over to his team is severely hampering the nation’s ability to combat the virus.
Biden is calling on Republican members of Congress to put politics aside and work together to convince Trump to acknowledge that he has lost the election. Biden’s team has been stymied in their efforts to get ready for their term because Trump has not directed the administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to legally recognize Biden’s victory. It is the GSA’s release that will provide Biden and his team with the necessary funding, intelligence briefings, and other access to federal services needed during this crucial transition period.
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The incoming president is particularly worried that this refusal of services will hamper his administration’s ability to prepare for a mass COVID-19 vaccine rollout program. Biden did not mince words when he said that more people would die if this coordination does not happen immediately. Biden also criticized the current president for simply playing golf while the pandemic rages on. The former vice president called on Trump to work with Congress to negotiate the needed financial stimulus for businesses and those who are unemployed due to the far-reaching effects of the pandemic.
Bringing Business Leaders Together: Biden’s news conference came after him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris met virtually with various business leaders across a wide spectrum of industries. Participants in the meeting included executives from Gap, Target, General Motors, and Microsoft. The country’s top labor unions also had representation at the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together the executives and union leaders to discuss how to bring America through this economic crisis with unity at the forefront. Biden’s camp is pushing for the use of clean energy and a nationally mandated $15 per hour minimum wage.
COVID-19 Continues to Infect Members of Congress: More COVID-19 cases are being reported in Congress. On Monday, two new cases of the virus were announced in the House of Representatives. Illinois Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos and Republican Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan both announced that they were positive. In addition to these two confirmed cases of the virus, Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan announced that he was isolating after being exposed to the virus.
The latest announcements are just another in a list of over 25 lawmakers who have tested positive for the deadly virus since the beginning of the pandemic. After the virus has ravaged the White House in recent weeks, those in Washington circles are now growing increasingly concerned that those who work on Capitol Hill will be next.
This is the first week that members of Congress were set to be back in the office since the election. It remains unseen as to how this latest round of positive cases will affect the business of Congress moving forward.
Karl Rove to Lead Republican Efforts in Georgia Senate Runoffs: Former George W. Bush staffer and close friend Karl Rove is back in the politics game, as least for a short time. Rove has been tapped to serve as the national finance chairman for the Georgia Battleground Fund. This fundraising account is in place to financially support both Republican Sen. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in their bids to retain control of the Senate seats in Georgia.
As the leader of this group, Rove is taking on a crucial role in the Republican Party. The stakes of these runoff elections could not be greater. If the Democrats were able to flip both of these seats in the January 5 runoff election, the party would take control of the Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.
The newly formed fundraising group is not short on star power in the Republican party. Honoray co-chairs include former Vice President Dan Quayle, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. There is no doubt that the fundraising efforts on both sides will play a crucial role in how this special election unfolds, making it important that each party has a central organization in place to raise and direct money.
Looking Ahead: Rumblings of key political appointments in Biden’s Cabinet will likely lead the political headlines in the week to come. Look for these announcements to begin on Tuesday as Biden looks to move quickly to get his team in place.
