Pelosi says House will implement budget reconciliation

The House will move forward next week with the process that would allow Democrats to pass a coronavirus relief bill without the support of Republicans, President Nancy Pelosi said Thursday.

The California Democrat has said her chamber will pass a budget resolution, the first step toward approving the legislation through reconciliation. The process would allow Senate Democrats to approve an aid measure without GOP votes.

Pelosi said the House plans to pass a resolution and send it across Capitol Hill, where the Senate will also need to pass a budget measure. She expects “by the end of the week we will be done with the budget resolution”.

The speaker said she hoped Democrats could still win GOP support for President Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion bailout as the White House spoke to bipartisan lawmakers. Still, the House wants to prepare in case Democrats fail to convince Republicans skeptical of the price.

“We have to be ready,” she said.

Previously, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., indicated that the chamber will also pass a budget resolution shortly. He said the Senate “as early as next week will begin the process of considering a very strong Covid relief bill”.

Democrats have pushed for more money to speed up the Covid-19 vaccination effort and support households and businesses as a slowed but devastating virus outbreak hits the economy. As the United States regained ground after a beating early last year, more than 18 million people are still receiving unemployment benefits as public health restrictions remain in place.

Among the most pressing issues facing Congress, the government aims to speed up the distribution and administration of vaccines. Programs that send an extra $ 300 a week to unemployed Americans and that extend unemployment benefits to self-employed, contract workers, and office workers expire March 14.

Biden’s plan sends another direct payment of $ 1,400 to most Americans, adds an unemployment supplement of $ 400 per week through September, and spends $ 70 billion on Covid-19 testing and distribution efforts. vaccines, among a host of other provisions.

While some Republicans have recognized the need for funds to speed up inoculation or have approved another stimulus check, many GOP lawmakers have criticized the reach of direct payments or the $ 350 billion in aid from states and governments. premises in Biden’s plan.

The president said he wanted to wait and see how talks with Republicans break down before approving the reconciliation process. Biden’s top economic adviser Brian Deese and Covid response coordinator Jeff Zients will join a Senate Democratic caucus call on Thursday as the party decides how to proceed, according to NBC News.

Senator Joe Manchin, DW.V., wants his party to show a real effort to reach a bipartisan deal before proposing a bill through reconciliation, NBC reported. He is one of the centrist Democrats who has expressed concerns about the cost of Biden’s plan and could single-handedly prevent him from going through the Senate.

The house is split 50-50 by party, but Democrats hold a majority thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris’ decisive vote.

The budget reconciliation process also limits what Congress can put into legislation, so it’s unclear whether Democrats could squeeze all of their political goals into a bill that could be passed by majority.

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