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'Rogue' Republican could stall coronavirus relief vote, House members fear
Furious lawmakers voiced serious concerns on Capitol Hill late Thursday that a Republican House member could “go rogue” and possibly scuttle a vote on the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package, and potentially endanger other House members in the process, Fox News has learned.
Fox News is told there is deep worry on both sides of the aisle that Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., could try to sidetrack House plans to quickly approve the coronavirus bill via a “voice vote” -- a verbal exercise in which those in favor shout yea, and those opposed holler nay. The loudest side would prevail.
“It’s the Thomas Massie show,” said one senior Republican source who asked to not be identified.
“He is going to do it,” a senior Republican leadership source told Fox News, explaining that leadership had tried every type of arm twisting -- and it's not working. The source said he was actively calling members and telling them to get on planes in the morning to come back to Washington so a quorum of 216 members could be established if Massie or another member were to demand one. Asked whether the House leadership was concerned about others besides Massie, another source replied, “There are others who are egging him on.”
The 880-page coronavirus stimulus package would amount to the largest economic relief bill in the history of the U.S. for individuals, large corporations, and small businesses -- and its 96-0 passage in the Senate came despite grave concerns on both sides about whether it involved too much spending or not enough.
Massie did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News late Thursday. It was unclear exactly why he may want to delay the bill, which some lawmakers have said contains too much wasteful spending -- including $25 million for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Click here for more on our top story.
Other related developments:
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Trump downplays worst-case coronavirus scenarios: 'I don't believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators'
President Trump expressed skepticism Thursday night that the worst-case coronavirus pandemic scenarios would come to pass in the U.S.
"I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they're going to be," the president said on “Hannity.”
"I don't believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators," Trump told host Sean Hannity, an apparent reference to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's recent claim that the state needed 30,000 of the devices. "You know, you go into major hospitals sometimes and they'll have two ventilators and now all of a sudden they're saying, 'Can we order 30,000 ventilators?'"
The president also expressed hope that parts of the U.S. economy would begin returning to normal by Easter Sunday, April 12. "The end result is, we've got to get back to work," Trump went on. "And I think we can start by opening up certain parts of the country ... certain parts of the Midwest, other places" where the outbreak has been less acute.
Trump also ruled out canceling the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled for Charlotte, N.C., in August.
“No way I'm going to cancel the convention," Trump told Hannity. Click here for more.
Other related developments:
- Trump says US working closely with China on coronavirus after call with Xi
- Cuomo expresses doubt about shutdown approach
- Ilhan Omar calls for 'national lockdown'
Coronavirus investigators one step closer to solving mystery of 'patient zero'
Investigators looking into the COVID-19 mystery could be one step closer to unmasking "patient zero."
A seafood merchant in Wuhan, China, is believed to be the first person diagnosed as having the coronavirus, which can be linked back to a wet market in China, leaked documents allege. The Daily Mail reported Thursday that China's The Paper claims Wei Guixian, a 57-year-old woman working in Wuhan, is the first person on record to be infected with the coronavirus.
Wei told the media outlet she started feeling sick Dec. 10. Thinking she might have the flu, she went to a local clinic seeking treatment. She was given some pills and then got back to work, selling live shrimp at the market. Fast forward a week and Wei was barely conscious and clinging to life in a Chinese hospital bed. Click here for more.
Other coronavirus developments:
- Trump says he may stop calling coronavirus the 'Chinese virus'
- Mardi Gras may have worsened New Orleans' coronavirus emergency, experts say
- Fox, iHeart Radio 'Living Room Concert for America' driving dollars to two charities
- Coronavirus: Everything you need to know
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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Stay safe and stay positive -- we will get through this coronavirus pandemic together. We'll see you in your inbox first thing Monday morning.
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