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Brian Deese, director of the president’s National Economic Council, said the White House’s focus on helping Covid-19 was on a full back-up plan in an interview on Tuesday, telling CNBC: “We are at a time when we need decisive action which we must act on. quickly, and we need to act holistically. “
When asked if the focus is on a bipartisan bill or a ‘big’ bill, Deese told Becky Quick, “We have learned in the last 10 months what happens if you approach this crisis piecemeal. We have to act holistically and we have to act quickly, so that’s really our goal. We certainly want to move forward as much as possible. ”
Pressed if that meant going for a budget reconciliation, Deese said: ‘Well listen, we have to do what it takes to solve this crisis – we can’t open schools if we don’t control the virus, we can’t control the virus if we don’t invest in the resources we need, we can’t get people back to work if we don’t open schools, so you know we have to tackle that in a way overall. “
“We’re very open to contributions and ideas from people, that’s the process that’s going on right now, but we have to move quickly here, so we don’t find ourselves, in a month, two or three from now, in a place where the virus is not under control, the economy is in a worse situation and we are all wondering why we have not acted, ”he added.
On criticism that coronavirus relief involves sending checks to Americans who don’t need them, Deese has hesitated that the Biden administration’s proposed package is not sufficiently targeted, telling CNBC, “If you look at the provisions of the US bailout, very targeted: hunger, homeless, UI.”
“Certainly, if there are ways to make this and other provisions more effective, that’s something we’re open to that, we’ll discuss it, but I think if you look at the whole, it ‘is an approach that is very, very targeted at the workers of the companies that are suffering the most from this economy, ”he continued.
Learn more about reconciliation: Senate Democrats have laid the groundwork for using a rare procedural tactic known as reconciliation to pass important parts of the Covid-19 relief program if Republicans get in the way, according to several Democratic aides.
While the leaders have yet to publicly give the green light and negotiations with the Republicans are still ongoing, aides tell CNN the process is complicated and obscure, which is why they are now bracing themselves just in case. they should use it.
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