New week welcomes a new Congress
A winter scene along Barber Hill Road in Pomfret, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Sunday wasn’t the typical ending to a holiday weekend. It was the day that the 117th Congress was sworn in, and it was an opportunity for lawmakers to outline priorities for the year during a momentous week.
Among them was longtime U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), who easily won another two-year term in November. He said lowering prescription drug prices, increasing broadband access in Vermont, addressing climate change, and providing more COVID-19 relief for families and small businesses are among his highest priorities.
“I’m looking forward to working with a new administration to make progress on critical issues,” Welch said via Twitter on Monday.
During this big week in politics, Tuesday’s runoff elections for two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia will determine the balance of power in Congress. Democrats emerged from the November election with a slimmer 222-211 majority in the House. On Wednesday, Congress meets to confirm the results of the November presidential election.
Those important political happenings will be closely tracked by Americans everywhere, and, speaking of COVID-19 relief, so will the timing of the $600 direct payments from the recent federal aid package. The first payments started going out on Dec. 29, including those going out by paper check, and will continue to be sent through Jan. 15, CNN reports. More such payments are likely down the road, in some form. One of the top priorities of the incoming Biden administration is a new economic relief package, which the president-elect has said would include a third round of stimulus payments.
That said, heading into the 117th Congress, politics still present their challenges, with divisions in the country persisting after the election. The compromise on the most recent relief package was a hopeful sign, showing that the shared focus on helping people through legislation remains possible. Let’s hope the focus remains on those priorities which are not political, but great necessities now, including food assistance, unemployment funds, vaccine distribution, child care and broadband. Surely such priorities can still provide a basis for moving forward with ways to help Americans, regardless of party. The goodness and compassion to help one another is still strong within us, and it remains a driving force connecting us all, allowing us to overcome barriers and make progress.
— Gareth Henderson
