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WASHINGTON – Leading moderate Republicans in the Senate rejected quick action on President Joe Biden’s top priority of a $ 1.9 trillion economic package, indicating that the $ 1,400 stimulus payments he requested could take months, if not never happen.
Democrats must convince 10 Republicans in the Senate, which may require asking for less funding than Biden originally requested, or bypassing the 60-vote threshold using a parliamentary maneuver.
Biden’s team appears poised to mount an aggressive campaign to get Congress to act, a departure from the previous administration that largely failed to engage lawmakers on legislative priorities and did not spend political capital to push through bills.
Republicans who would be critical to reaching the finish line said they were open to additional money to speed up distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, but hesitated at Biden’s overall price. Some have asked Biden to scale back the plan while others have suggested waiting a few months to see if the economic need persists.
Senator Susan Collins, of R-Maine, one of the more moderate Republicans, said she was “sympathetic” to the increase in immunization funds, but did not see the rationale for a bill ” so big ”.
“It’s hard for me to see, when we’ve just spent $ 900 billion in aid, why we would have such a big package,” Collins told reporters Thursday. “Maybe in a few months the needs will be obvious and we will have to do something important, but I don’t see it at the moment.”
Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called Biden’s request “significant”, adding that “the ink is barely dry on the $ 900 billion bill.”
“And so it’s going to take, I think, a lot of debate and consideration,” she told reporters.
Senator Mitt Romney R-Utah, a conservative who has already broken with his party, told NBC News he was not inclined to borrow another trillion dollars or even $ 500 billion for a broad economic agenda.
“My opinion is that what is holding back the economy is Covid, not the money,” he said. “I want to do whatever we can to get the Covid vaccines out. But once the Covid vaccine comes out and people get vaccinated, I believe you will see the economy come back.”
Rapid resistance means hard work for Biden’s plan in the 10 GOP votes needed to pass through the normal process, which Biden’s team said they are prioritizing for this bill. If bipartisan support does not materialize, it would leave Democrats two options: use the reconciliation process to bypass the systematic obstruction of budget arrangements, or reduce it to seek bipartisan support.
“I think the administration and the caucus would prefer this to be done on a bipartisan basis,” House Budget Speaker John Yarmuth, D-Ky, told reporters. “We haven’t made the decision to use reconciliation yet, but we are, we’re ready to act very quickly if it looks like we can’t do it otherwise.”
Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Who is expected to chair the Senate Budget Committee, also said Democrats should use reconciliation if outreach to Republicans proves unsuccessful.
Biden’s plan includes $ 400 billion for vaccine and reopening of schools, new stimulus payments of $ 1,400, $ 400 a week in unemployment assistance, $ 25 billion in child care assistance and health care subsidies to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and fund COBRA health insurance coverage. It follows the $ 900 billion plan approved in December which provides for direct payments and other economic aid until March.
Some provisions could go through the budget process once per fiscal year if they are directly related to taxes and spending. But regulatory provisions, like an increase in the federal minimum wage to $ 15, should be excluded.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday that Biden’s package was subject to changes in the legislative process but all components were important.
“The way the package was designed was to deal with the fundamental issues of the crisis,” she said in response to a question about the possibility of dismantling it to gain bipartisan support. “So I think the tricky point of this question is, are you delaying funding for vaccines to distribute the vaccine? Are you delaying funding for UI? Are you delaying funding for reopening schools?”
The approach the Democratic-led government chooses to take for the new president’s top priority will set the tone for legislative action over the next two years, which will likely be the best opportunity for Biden to push projects forward. aggressive laws in Congress.
Brian Deese, director of Biden’s National Economic Council, rebutted Republican skepticism on Friday, saying the United States is “at a precarious time” with the virus and the economy.
“Without decisive action, we risk falling into a very serious economic hole, even more serious than the crisis in which we find ourselves,” he told reporters. “The risk of doing too little far outweighs the risk of doing too much.”
Deese plans to hold an appeal with a bipartisan group of senators, including Collins and Murkowski, this weekend to discuss Biden’s proposal.
Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., Who sits on the Senate Finance Committee overseeing economic aid, said he needed to hear a valid rationale for spending so much money.
“If you don’t have a rationale for it, a billion dollars is too much for me,” he said. “We are not here just to spend money. We are here to spend money when needed.”
Some Republicans are urging Democratic leaders to roll back the plan.
“I think the amount would be difficult, but there are elements that I like,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., said of Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion proposal. “I don’t think his bill is going to be successful but we have to do something.”
He said he hopes a bipartisan task force led by Collins and Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., “can find an alternative.”
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