10 Senate Republicans seek to meet with Biden on Covid aid



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The letter is a clear attempt to prevent democratic efforts from pursuing fiscal reconciliation as the path to the next round of coronavirus aid. This week, Democrats in both Houses plan to pass budget resolutions allowing the party to approve Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus plan without GOP votes.

Still, this path leaves little room for error: All 50 Senate Democrats should all agree, and House leaders could afford few defections. And Republicans in a bipartisan negotiating group have urged Biden to crush efforts to move forward without them, though Democrats are skeptical of adhering to the grand spending plan they deem necessary to revive the government. economy.

Republican senators will release more details of their plan on Monday, according to a Republican aide. Sunday’s letter said it would also extend unemployment benefits that expired in March, match Biden’s request for nutritional assistance, and send a new round of payments to “families most in need of help, including their children and dependent adults ”. It will also focus on child care, helping small businesses and funding schools.

Republicans and some Democrats have complained that people with high incomes would be eligible for the next round of $ 1,400 payments. And no Republican has indicated even lukewarm support for Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion spending figure. This led to President Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer saying they would go ahead if the Republicans stood in the way of their plan.

In addition to Collins, the letter was signed by GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, Mitt Romney from Utah, Rob Portman from Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia, Todd Young from Indiana, Jerry Moran from Kansas, Thom Tillis from North Carolina and Mike Rounds from South Dakota. They say if Biden is willing to listen to them, Congress does not have to pass a partisan coronavirus bill.

“In 2020, members of the House and Senate and the previous administration met five times on a bipartisan basis,” they wrote on Sunday. “With your support, we believe Congress can once again craft a relief program that will provide meaningful and effective assistance to the American people and put us on the road to recovery.”

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