Something good is coming out of this mess

| 12:01 pm EST February 17, 2021
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The Senate may have acquitted Donald Trump, but several members of Congress are not going to forget about it anytime soon. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is establishing a commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Pelosi’s investigation request does not end with the insurrection itself but includes “interference with the peaceful transfer of power.” Further, Pelosi said that Congress will increase spending to boost security at the Capitol so that nothing like this ever happens again. According to AP, support for both the commission and increased security is bipartisan. This investigation is not the only thing happening in Washington regarding Trump.

Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, filed a lawsuit against Trump, Giuliani, Proud Boys, and Oath Keepers in federal court. The lawsuit alleges violations of 42 U.S.C. § 1985(1), which is also known as the “Ku Klux Klan Act.” Enacted in 1871 after the civil war, the law is “intended to protect against conspiracies, through violence and intimidation, that sought to prevent Members of Congress from discharging their official duties.” In the case of the Capitol riot, that is exactly what happened. Thompson filed the suit in his individual capacity, and he is represented by counsel for NAACP and private counsel from New York, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll. This will likely be an exceedingly difficult case to prove, as it alleges a conspiracy between Trump, Giuliani, and leaders of the organizational defendants. Keep in mind, however, that the burden in a civil case is much less than that in a criminal case, and it should be interesting to watch.

Proving once again that they can handle two things at once, Democrats are also focused on pushing through President Biden’s “American Rescue Plan.” CNN reported on the plan in detail, sharing that it not only addresses COVID but “some of the underlying economic inequality and government incompetence” that were exposed by the pandemic. People are wondering how much “pork” this bill contains, as that is typically how bills work (especially under Trump), but CNN laid out what the bill covers. Pelosi is determined to get this bill passed before unemployment benefits expire in March.

Everyone is aware of the $1,400 stimulus checks, but one of the big issues in the bill is enhancing the vaccination program, which CNN reported is averaging 1.6 million doses per day. The bill also includes a federal enhancement of $400 per week to the unemployed; a raise in the child tax credit to $3,600; subsidies for insurance coverage; $15 billion in small business grants; $3 billion in food to women, infants, and children; $25 billion in rental assistance; extending the eviction moratorium through September; and a $15 per hour minimum wage hike.

A recent YouGov poll revealed that 83% of Americans want this bill passed, and it is well on its way. Instead of focusing on all the mess in Washington, this should help us focus on how fortunate we are to have Joe Biden in office. Every one of these items will benefit Americans, and that is an exceptionally good thing.