A group of 10 Republicans has launched an effort to try to force President Joe Biden to negotiate a bit on his planned $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. The senators are asking for a meeting with Biden to negotiate on the measure as Democratic leaders are getting ready to lay the groundwork so they can pass the package with only Democratic votes. In a letter to Biden, the senators, led by Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, say they are putting forward the plan “in the spirit of bipartisanship and unity” that the president has called for.
Although the package will be unveiled Monday, one of the GOP senators has said that what they’re putting forward is a proposal that would be less than a third of the size of Biden’s desired package. Republicans have said Biden’s bill involves too much money considering Congress has already committed $4 trillion to fight the pandemic, including $900 billion in December.
The move by Republican senators involves an effort to prevent Democrats to pursue what is known as budget reconciliation. The procedural tactic would allow Democrats to pass the bill without negotiating with Republicans because they would only need a simple majority in the Senate. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who is one of the Republicans who signed the letter, said that pursuing that tactic would “set President Biden down a path of partisanship that will poison the well.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who also signed the letter, said on Fox News Sunday that their proposed package would total some $600 billion. “We’re targeted to the needs of the American people, treating our tax dollars as if they’re our tax dollars not just money to spend,” Cassidy said.
The proposal that the 10 Republican are putting forward would include $160 billion for vaccine development and distribution as well as testing, tracing, and other supplies. It also calls for direct payments directed at “families who need assistance the most” and an extension of federal unemployment benefits. “We have developed a COVID-19 relief framework that builds on prior COVID assistance laws, all of which passed with bipartisan support,” the senators wrote to Biden. “We request the opportunity to meet with you to discuss our proposal in greater detail and how we can work together to meet the needs of the American people during this persistent pandemic.” In addition to Collins, Cassidy, and Portman, the letter is also signed by Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Todd Young of Indiana, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Mike Rounds of South Dakota.
For now the letter doesn’t seem to have swayed many Democrats to change their plans. And while the Biden administration said it was willing to talk, officials also made clear that speed is key. “We’re certainly open to input from anywhere where we can find a constructive idea to make this package as effective as possible, but the president is uncompromising when it comes to the speed that we need to act at to address this crisis,” Brian Deese, the director of the White House’s National Economic Council, said on CNN. Jared Bernstein, a top economic adviser, said that Biden “is absolutely willing to negotiate” but also made clear that any negotiation would have to come quick and Americans don’t much care about how it happens as long as they get the aid they need. “Look, the American people really couldn’t care less about budget process, whether it’s regular order, bipartisanship, whether it’s filibuster, whether it’s reconciliation,” Bernstein said on Fox News Sunday. People “need relief and they need it now.”
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February 01, 2021 at 05:37AM
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Ten Senate Republicans Propose $600 Billion Counteroffer to Biden’s $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Bill - Slate
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