GOP threatens to tank economy over infrastructure bill – National & International News – THU 23Sept2021

GOP threatens to tank economy over debt ceiling. FDA OKs Pfizer boosters for seniors and others at risk. DHS plans to detain Haitians at Gitmo.

NATIONAL NEWS

GOP threatens to tank economy over infrastructure bill

In an effort to thwart Democrats’ efforts to pass a $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is threatening to filibuster a stopgap spending plan. The Democrats have proposed a continuing resolution to raise the debt ceiling and fund the federal government. A Republican filibuster would not only mean a government shutdown at the end of this month, but an unprecedented default on $28 trillion in U.S. debt.

Such a default would wreck the country’s credit score and do irreparable damage to the economy, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Raising the debt ceiling allows the federal government to borrow money to pay down debts it has already accrued. Failing to do so could plunge the country into a recession.

During the Trump administration, Democrats voted with Republicans to raise the debt ceiling three times. Democrats also point out that deep tax cuts during the Trump administration for wealthy Americans and corporations are partially to blame for new debts piling up as rapidly as they have. The Democrats’ infrastructure bill would raise taxes for anyone making over $400,000 and raise corporate taxes to mitigate any shortfalls.

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FDA approves Pfizer boosters for seniors and others at risk

The FDA has authorized people who are over 65 or are otherwise more vulnerable to COVID to receive Pfizer booster shots. At present, the authorization only applies to people who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine more than 8 months previously. Those who received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson jabs will have to wait until the FDA has reviewed more evidence of the safety and efficacy of boosters for those vaccines. 

But Pfizer boosters are not available just yet. The CDC is meeting now to discuss guidance on who should receive a booster. The FDA proposes boosters for anyone who is over 65, has health complications, or whose work puts them at greater risk of contracting COVID. This last group could include healthcare workers and other essential workers whose work puts them in close contact with the public.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Biden administration plans to detain Haitians at Guantanamo Bay

Due to a recent influx of Haitian migrants, the Department of Homeland Security plans to reopen a migrant detention center at Guantanamo Bay. The facility is meant to hold only 120 detainees. But a government listing seeking a private contractor to operate the facility suggests it could house up to 400 during a “surge event”. That would mean hastily putting together temporary housing using tents and cots. The listing also asks that the contractor man the facility with at least 50 personnel, at least 10% of whom should be fluent in Spanish and Haitian Creole.

DHS says it does not plan to relocate individuals to the detention center from the southern border. Rather the facility would temporarily house migrants intercepted at sea to await third-country resettlement.

While Guantanamo Bay is most famous for its detention facility housing international terrorists like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the base has also long contained a DHS-run migrant facility. That particular facility has a controversial history with regard to Haitian migrants. 

From 1991 to 1993, the George H. W. Bush administration sent as many as 12,000 Haitian migrants to Guantanamo Bay. These were migrants intercepted as they attempted to seek asylum in Florida. Immigration advocates said the decision to house them on Gitmo was linked to the AIDS panic since some of the migrants were HIV-positive.

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