WASHINGTON, D.C. (KMOX) - Senators Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) have put aside their extreme differences to co-author an amendment to the pandemic relief bill the U-S Senate is expected to consider next week.
They are proposing a repeat of the $1,200 per person stimulus checks, with $500 per dependent child. "It's exactly what this Congress approved overwhelmingly back in March." Hawley said of their proposal. "We are working on bi-partisan legislation," Sanders said on the floor of the Senate. "And Senator Hawley has done a very, very good job on this."
Both lawmakers say American families continue to suffer from the economic impacts of the pandemic, and any relief package should focus on them. "Working families and working people should be first to get relief, not last." Hawley said. "Their interests, their needs should be first on our to-do list, not last."
Hawley is considered a conservative firebrand, while Sanders is a progressive Socialist, who is listed as an Independent, but caucuses with the Democrats. He has even been a strong candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination the past two elections, despite not being a member of the party. Their work together finding common ground could be considered a hopeful sign in a politically-divided Capitol. However, most members of Congress will say much of what they do is done in a congenial, bi-partisan spirit. It's the divisive and controversial issues that often get the most attention.
Whether the Hawley-Sanders Amendment will gain traction when introduced in the Senate next week remains to be seen. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has been favoring only bare bones relief, while the White House has just started pushing for a $600 check to individuals.
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