[ad_1]
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is due to meet with a group of 10 Republican senators on Monday who have offered $ 618 billion in coronavirus aid, roughly a third of the $ 1.9 trillion he is seeking while Congressional Democrats are ready to move forward without GOP support.
The Republican group’s proposal focuses on the health effects of the pandemic rather than its economic cost, tapping into the bipartisan emergency to shore up vaccine distribution in the country and dramatically expand viral testing with $ 160 billion in aid. of dollars. Their reduced $ 1,000 direct payments would go to fewer households than the $ 1,400 offered by Biden, and they would avoid costly aid to states and cities that Democrats see as equally important.
Gone are democratic priorities such as gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
Engaging the White House in high-level bipartisan talks will certainly appeal to Biden’s wish to unify the nation. But that could curb Democrats’ rush to roll out their broader budget resolutions for House and Senate votes as early as this week, as they lay the groundwork for approving a COVID relief bill with their new majority in Congress.
The goal is for COVID to pass in March, when additional unemployment assistance and other pandemic assistance expires.
“We recognize your calls for unity and want to work in good faith with your administration to address the health, economic and societal challenges of the COVID crisis,” the 10 GOP senators wrote to Biden. “We share many of your priorities.”
The opening of the coalition of 10 mostly centrist GOP senators is an attempt to show that at least some in the Republican ranks want to work with Biden’s new administration, rather than simply operating as the opposition minority in Congress. But Democrats are reluctant to spend too much time wooing GOP support that might not come to fruition or provide too meager a package as they believe happened in the 2009 recovery.
The acceleration of talks came as the Congressional Budget Office presented mixed economic forecasts On Monday with robust growth expected at an annual rate of 4.5% but employment rates will not return to pre-pandemic levels for several years.
“We all want bipartisanship,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt said on Sunday. “But currently, this country is facing an unprecedented series of crises. … We must act, and we must act now.
An invitation to GOP senators to meet at the White House came hours after lawmakers sent a letter to Biden on Sunday urging him to negotiate rather than trying to channel his relief package solely on Democratic votes.
The cornerstone of the GOP plan is $ 160 billion for the health care response – the distribution of vaccines, a “massive expansion” of testing, protective equipment and funds for rural hospitals, according to one draft.
Other parts of the package are similar, but in much smaller amounts, with $ 20 billion for reopening schools and $ 40 billion for commercial assistance from the Paycheck Protection Program.
Under the GOP’s proposal, direct payments of $ 1,000 would go to individuals earning up to $ 40,000 per year, or $ 80,000 for couples. The proposal would begin phasing out benefits after that, with no payment for people earning over $ 50,000 or $ 100,000 for couples. That’s less than Biden’s proposal of $ 1,400 in direct payments to higher income levels.
With Biden’s plan, out-of-pocket payments would be phased out at higher income levels, and families with incomes of up to $ 300,000 could receive stimulus money.
The meeting hosted by Biden would be the president’s biggest public involvement in negotiations for the next round of virus relief.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Sunday that while Biden wanted “a full exchange of views,” the president remained in favor of continuing the larger relief program.
“With the virus posing a serious threat to the country and grim economic conditions for so many, the need to act is urgent, and the scale of what needs to be done is great,” Psaki said.
Winning the support of 10 Republicans would be important for Biden in the 50-50 Senate where Vice President Kamala Harris is the tiebreaker. If all Democrats supported a possible compromise bill, the legislation would meet the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome potential blockade efforts and pass through due Senate procedures.
Call for Biden to give more time to bipartisan negotiations comes as president shows signs of impatience as the more liberal wing of his party is considering pushing the relief plan through a process called fiscal reconciliation. This would allow the bill to pass with a majority of 51 votes in the Senate, rather than the 60 votes typically needed to move forward.
“If you can’t find a bipartisan compromise on COVID-19, I don’t know where you can find it,” said Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who also signed the letter.
But even as Biden issued the invitation to Republican lawmakers, Psaki said relief checks of $ 1,400, substantial funding to reopen schools, help small businesses and injured families, and more were indispensable.
“As great economists have said, the danger is not to overdo it. It’s doing too little, ”Psaki said.
Biden also spoke to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday, who face pressure from more liberal Democratic MPs to move forward with Biden’s legislation. with or without Republican support.
Other GOP Senators invited to meet with Biden are Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Mitt Romney from Utah, Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia, Todd Young from Indiana, Jerry Moran from Kansas, Mike Rounds from South Dakota. and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
Brian Deese, the White House’s senior economic adviser who leads the administration’s outreach to Congress, has indicated that the White House may be open to negotiations on further limiting who would receive stimulus checks.
“It’s definitely a place we’re willing to sit down and think, are there ways to make the whole package more efficient?” Said Deese.
As a candidate, Biden said his decades in the Senate and his eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president gave him credibility as a negotiator and would help him bring Republicans and Democrats to consensus on the most important issues facing the country.
But less than two weeks after starting his presidency, Biden showed his frustration with the pace of negotiations. at a time when the economy is showing further signs of wear and tear from the pandemic. 847,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that layoffs remain high as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage.
[ad_2]
Source link