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Washington – The group of 10 Republican senators seeking to negotiate with President Biden on a new round of COVID-19 relief unveiled details of their proposal on Monday, hours before lawmakers were ready to meet with the President of the White House.
The group’s proposal, led by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, totals about $ 618 billion, or about a third the size of the $ 1.9 trillion plan presented by the president and Democratic leaders to Congress. The group’s counter-offer comes as Congress Democrats prepare to move forward with the administration’s proposed plan, with or without GOP support.
“Mr. President, 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 senators said in a joint statement. “We look forward to discussing our proposal in detail with you this afternoon at the White House.”
The GOP plan calls for another round of direct payments to taxpayers, but would cap the income level of those eligible to receive them at a lower level than previous rounds of aid. People earning less than $ 40,000 would receive $ 1,000, with the amount gradually decreasing for those earning between $ 40,000 and $ 50,000.
Couples who file jointly would receive double that amount, with the amount decreasing for those earning over $ 80,000, to $ 100,000. An additional $ 500 would be provided for each child and dependent adult. Previous rounds of direct payments were based on income reported on 2019 tax returns. Mr. Biden’s plan calls for checks of $ 1,400 for most low- and middle-income earners.
The proposal would also extend federal unemployment insurance extended to $ 300 per week until June 30, in addition to state benefits. Mr Biden has asked for an extension of unemployment assistance of $ 400 a week until September.
The plan includes $ 160 billion for a national immunization program, production of personal protective equipment and expanded testing, as well as an injection of $ 40 billion into the paycheck protection program to provide loans. to small businesses. It would also allocate $ 20 billion to an initiative to get children back to school and extend the increased benefits of SNAP until September at a cost of $ 3 billion.
The GOP proposal does not include funds allocated to state and local governments, and does not mention increasing the federal minimum wage, two key priorities in the administration’s package.
Senators who signed the proposal include Collins, Rob Portman of Ohio, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Todd Young of Indiana. , Jerry Moran from Kansas, Mike Rounds from South Dakota and Thom Tillis from North Carolina.
Mr Biden plans to meet with the group on Monday to discuss the proposal and his administration’s plan. The White House said the president was open to a “full exchange of ideas.”
Ed O’Keefe contributed reporting.
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