A bipartisan group of senators is pushing the White House for more details on its $ 1.9 billion bailout plan, and some suggested on Sunday to administration officials that President Biden should provide more information on how money will be spent – and may consider to divide its ambitious legislation. in smaller proposals.
Sixteen senators from both major parties and three senior staff members of the White House virtually met on Sunday afternoon to discuss Mr. Discuss Biden’s American rescue plan. The one-hour, 15-minute call was made by moderate Virginia Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
Mr. Biden’s proposed help plan includes $ 400 billion for delaying the spread of COVID-19 and improving vaccine capabilities; more than $ 1 billion to assist families in need of immediate financial support; and $ 440 billion in emergency funds for cash-strapped small businesses and communities.
Included in the package are $ 1,400 stimulus checks that, along with the recent round of $ 600 payments, bring the total relief sent to Americans to $ 2,000. The amount of direct aid that had to be sent to individuals was an important point in the negotiations on the aid package that was passed at the end of 2020. Other financial aid includes extending $ 100 unemployment insurance, raising the weekly amount to $ 400 and raising child taxes. credit up to $ 3000 per child.
Participants in the meeting stressed that they are pushing the administration for more information on how fast it can distribute the vaccine nationwide and say it is an urgent priority.
“There was definitely the consensus that the most important vaccine is vaccination,” said Angus King, an independent. “And also to detect and detect it, we can not abandon it. But a consensus that we must identify the bottlenecks, whether it is production, distribution, administration of the vaccine, and move aggressively on it. “Everyone believes this is the first priority, and there was absolute consensus on it.”
Some of the participants have indicated that they would like the Senate to work out a framework for an agreement in the next two weeks – before former President Trump’s indictment begins on February 8. .
Although some participants called the meeting “productive” and a good first step, Republican Senator Susan Collins, who attended the meeting, called it “premature” to discuss legislative action of this magnitude and extent. She said she would propose a more “targeted” package, especially with the distribution of vaccines.
Representatives from both parties said they would press the Biden administration to get more clarity on how it calculates the potential federal aid for schools, states and cities. Some senators are asking for more information on how aid can be distributed to cash-strapped municipalities and states.
King said there is a “reasonable discussion of the data” to find out how aid is calculated.
“In other words, I think they have $ 130 billion for education,” King said. “Where does it come from? What’s the basis of it? And there were questions about it. Another kind of detail question is, how much money is still in the pipeline? How much has been committed and stems from the previous relief packages?”
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who was also part of Sunday’s assembly, said “more data will be useful.”
She said there is a lot of discussion about ‘targeted assistance’ by states, especially to recognize which states will have positive revenues and which need less assistance.
“The state and local needs are one of the things that are still an issue,” Shaheen said. “It was a problem while we were trying to put together the last COVID package in December.”
But Shaheen calls it a ‘really positive start’.
“The fact that we have a new government, not even a week at work, and they are reaching out to the dual group of senators who were really important to finalize the last COVID emergency relief package,” Shaeen said. “It was an opportunity to hear from the administration their reasoning on what is in the COVID package, and for us to ask questions and express our views.”
Congress Approves $ 900 Billion Emergency Relief Package in December, which several senators mentioned when discussing Sunday’s call.
“Remember, just over three weeks ago, we surpassed almost a trillion-dollar package,” King said. “We must therefore know where it stands in terms of implementation, how much has been distributed, how much is left, to what extent the money not spent has been set off in the new proposal.”