Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressive presses remain pushing for the COVID-19 relief, regardless of whether the Biden government receives dual support for a $ 1.9 billion package that includes $ 1,400 checks to millions of Americans.
While several Republicans and some moderate Democrats are calling on President Joe Biden to lower the price of his proposal and to issue more targeted $ 1,000 direct payments to struggling Americans, Sanders says it is not time for the negotiations to ease the pandemic is not going well.
“The issue is not twofold,” Sanders told ABC News Sunday. ‘The question is: are we going to address the incredible crises and the pain and anxiety in this country? I do not care what anyone says. We have to deal with this pandemic. ”
Ten Republican senators, led by Susan Collins of Maine, proposed a $ 600 billion compromise plan and wrote to the president over the weekend to seek a meeting.
“We want to work in good faith with you and your administration to address the health, economic and social challenges of the Covid crisis,” the legislators wrote.
While Biden’s plan called for $ 1,400 stimulus checks on individuals earning less than $ 75,000 and couples earning less than $ 150,000, GOP lawmakers are seeking more targeted limits, at $ 50,000 for individuals and $ 100,000 for couples, according to The Washington Post. The checks would also cost only $ 1,000, according to the Republican plan, lawmakers told the Post.
Sanders, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, cited that children are starving and people are losing their homes amid rampant job losses caused by the pandemic. He predicted that Republicans and Democrats would work together “on the pike” on issues such as drug prices and infrastructure, but on the coronavirus, he said, “we must act and we must act now.”
“If Republicans want to work with us, and if they have better ideas on how to address the crises, that’s great,” he said. “But to be honest with you, I have not heard it yet.”
Most Democrats called for significant assistance to state and local governments and at least $ 1,400 or $ 2,000 stimulus checks. Several prominent Democrats, including representatives Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, recently demanded a monthly check for $ 2,000 in the entire pandemic. Their push is similar to a bill from Sens. Ed Markey, Sanders and Vice President Kamala Harris in May.
Democrats typically need the support of ten Republicans to pass a comprehensive package, but they can force much of the president’s plan through budget reconciliation – a move that links the COVID-19 bill to the annual budget process, which only ‘ requires a simple majority. In the event of a 50-50 draw, Harris could cast the decisive vote in the role of vice president as president of the Senate.
Biden’s “rescue plan” includes more than $ 400 billion to cover $ 1,400 stimulus checks for millions of Americans; $ 400 billion for vaccines and to reopen schools; $ 35 billion to help local governments promote small businesses; and increased supplementary unemployment insurance, from $ 300 to $ 400. Biden also called on the federal government to set a minimum wage of $ 15, which Republicans continue to label as a work killer.
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