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“People can talk to whoever they want to talk to, but this country is facing huge crises,” retorted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Who chairs the budget committee. “Elections have consequences. We are in the majority and we must act.
Across the Capitol, House Democrats are considering dueling approaches on how to tackle the next coronavirus relief package – Biden’s first major legislative priority, and which will be a harbinger for others. The bill was already going to be a big deal, just weeks after Congress passed a nearly $ 1 trillion aid package. Now, it has also become the first visible rift between the more moderate and left wing of the Democrats in his party, which is under intense pressure to keep its promises.
Some centrist Democrats, like Manchin, insist that Biden’s package must be bipartisan – like all other coronavirus aid bills to date – and say the administration must step down from its original 1 proposal. , $ 9 trillion. But many more are unwilling to wait, with much needed funds for vaccine distribution, along with a host of other priorities left out in the latest deal. In particular, Republicans resist Biden’s proposal to raise the minimum wage to $ 15, and Conservatives hate spending on state and local governments.
“If they thought it was impossible, I don’t think they would waste their time. Their first mission is to find a bipartisan path forward, ”said representative Josh Gottheimer (DN.J.) of the Biden team, with whom he is working on a bipartisan approach..
But another group of Democrats – dubious of bipartisan talks and eager to bring more relief – say the only way forward is to work their way through Biden’s package on their own, using the budget tool wonky known as reconciliation to block the bill in Congress without GOP votes.
Democratic Senate leaders, meanwhile, are trying to find common ground: give Republicans a little time, but crush them if they delay too long. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday he preferred to have the GOP on board, but would move without them if necessary.
“I hope it doesn’t lead to this,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). But he said his party is studying how far it can go with reconciliation, such as increasing the minimum wage. “In the past, Republicans have changed some of the reconciliation rules to reflect their legislative efforts.”
But moving towards an online party vote “would send exactly the wrong message,” said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Who is part of the bipartisan group of 16 senators who spoke with senior officials on Sunday. Biden. “We have to be unified and come to a certain consensus.”
Moreover, Democrats control just 50 Senate seats and 221 House seats. This means that passing a bill on a party line will almost require a lockdown unit, which is not easy: just ask Republicans who failed to repeal Obamacare with reconciliation in 2017.
And for now, Democrats have ruled out removing filibuster, restricting their reconciliation options, or recruiting 10 Senate Republicans for coronavirus relief. Several centrist GOP senators opposed the Biden administration’s plan over the weekend.
Even if they decide to reject the idea of a bipartisan bill, Democrats have not agreed on the extent of a partisan effort. Sanders and others have argued that Democrats can impose huge policy changes such as a $ 15 minimum wage – a long-standing progressive priority – through the budget process, even if it would require erosion virtually unprecedented Senate rules and potentially empowering the GOP to take similar steps down the line.
Every provision in a reconciliation package must pass the so-called Byrd rule, which means it must have a significant effect on the federal government’s revenue, expenditure, or debt. Ultimately, the Senate parliamentarian must decide what qualifies – although some Democrats are pushing to overturn the parliamentarian if the minimum wage hike is rejected.
House Budget Speaker John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) – who is skeptical of minimum wage erasing Byrd’s rule – said it would be the “ultimate power move” if Democrats tried to push it through .
“I’m not sure that’s the smartest thing to do,” Yarmuth said. “You have to worry about the precedents.”
There is also a discussion of crafting a “fee” for a minimum wage increase, such as levying a tax on businesses that refuse to participate, Yarmuth acknowledged.
Sanders argued that the Senate can “absolutely” pass a minimum wage increase with reconciliation: “We will argue… that when you raise the minimum wage, people will become less dependent on public assistance and this will allow the federal government to ‘save substantial sums. silver. This is the key argument. “
For now, Democrats say they are moving on parallel tracks. The House could vote as early as next week to take the first step towards an exclusively Democratic bill, approving a budget resolution that includes instructions to unlock reconciliation, as bipartisan talks continue in both chambers. Lawmakers will introduce this budget bill on Monday.
Democrats say they have no choice but to move forward with reconciliation now, as it would likely take several weeks if Democrats decide to deploy preferred procedure.
“If we want to use reconciliation, we have to move forward very soon, but that doesn’t preclude a negotiated package either,” Yarmuth said. “At worst, it’s plan A and at best it’s plan B.”
Durbin said Senate Democrats have made no final decision on when to advance a budget resolution. That opens up an a-rama vote and unlimited amendment votes, and Biden has yet to get his Cabinet confirmed ahead of the impeachment trial, which is set to begin the week of February 8.
In early conversations with the Biden administration, Republicans and Democrats in that group were left with little answer on exactly how much of December’s $ 900 billion bill was left and what was needed. The price of a possible compromise has still not been discussed. And given that the last coronavirus bill took about seven months to conclude, Democrats warn that this challenge cannot be subject to the same delay.
And it is clear that there is a lot of pent-up desire in the party to implement its priorities after 10 years without full control of Washington.
“I don’t think this is the time for half measures,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.). “I would absolutely support doing it through reconciliation. The sooner the better, my state is suffering and we need city and state money. “
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