House Republicans blocked Democrats’ attempt to meet President Donald Trump’s demand to pay most Americans $2,000 to help weather the coronavirus pandemic.
Republicans objected to the bill House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer sought to pass by unanimous consent Thursday to replace the $600 payments in the latest pandemic relief legislation with the $2,000 payments.
Vishal Sankhla is co-founder and CEO of Outmarket.
Sankhla has dedicated his career to building intelligent, automated systems that replace inefficiency with speed, clarity, and action. He previously led the platform team at Uber, was Director of Engineering at Facebook, and Head of Product at Ethos Life Insurance.
At Outmarket, Sankhla leads a team that delivers a comprehensive AI solution to the manual workflows, siloed data, and outdated processes that cost brokers and carriers billions in lost productivity each year. Outmarket is now trusted by over 200 of the world's most successful insurance agencies to streamline operations, reduce E&O exposure and drive growth. Connect with Vishal on LinkedIn.
Mike Gerhard is chief data and AI officer at BDO USA, where he is responsible for integrating AI into BDO's operations. He has led numerous technology initiatives, including the enterprise digital transformation and innovation program. Additionally, he leads the research and AI development team.
Patrick Armstrong leads the revenue function at ReSource Pro, guiding the company's go-to-market strategy across the retail, MGA/wholesale, and carrier segments. With more than 30 years of sales and insurance leadership, including 17 years as an agency principal, he brings deep industry expertise to helping organizations improve performance and drive profitable growth.
“House and Senate Democrats have repeatedly fought for bigger checks for the American people, which House and Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected — first, during our negotiations when they said that they would not go above $600 and now, with this act of callousness on the Floor,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Thursday.
Democrats will try again with a roll call vote on a new bill Dec. 28, when the House also plans a vote to override Trump’s veto on the National Defense Authorization Act. Since current government spending runs out that day — and funds for the rest of the fiscal year are included in the virus relief bill Trump criticized and hasn’t signed -- the House could also pass another stopgap measure to avert a partial government shutdown.
Republicans on Thursday tried to seek unanimous consent on a measure to examine taxpayer money spent on foreign aid, but Democrats blocked that move. In his complaint Tuesday about Congress’s combined virus aid and government spending bill, Trump criticized federal resources spent on international programs, even though that spending was allocated as part of the bipartisan appropriations process.