Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said privately that he can pass President Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus package, but he does not want to avoid recent changes in direction.
Why it matters: While the president hoped to garner Republican support for the measure, Schumer worked to ensure he had a solid 50 votes to spare it if necessary. A parliamentary ruling on Thursday improved his chances.
What we hear: Schumer met Thursday morning with a group of moderate Democratic senators. They called for some changes in the bill – including moving pots of money, more funding for broadband and rural hospitals and extending unemployment benefits to August.
- “They have some ideas and we’re going to check them out,” Schumer told Axios afterwards.
- Asked if some of the lawmakers are proposing to lower the total price tag of the bill, Schumer said: “I will not go into more detail on this.”
The leader is careful to rock the boat at present, the sources said, expecting the measure to remain relatively unchanged in its final version.
- “Schumer [has] met privately with members to get their input on the legislation to make sure it was included in the draft, ” said a person familiar with the meetings.
The latest: The Senate MP announced Thursday night that Democrats cannot include a minimum wage of $ 15 within the measure during the reconciliation process.
- The decision was important because Sens Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) Said they were opposed to including the wage increase in the package, which would cost the Democrats critical votes.
The conclusion: Democrats were largely in agreement that a nearly $ 2 billion package is needed to satisfy the urgency of the COVID-19 crisis.
- Last month, a group of ten moderate Republican senators presented a counter-proposal of about $ 600 billion, but it was summarily rejected by the White House.
- The White House was publicly optimistic, but it will provide Republican support, but has privately prepared to pass the package.
- This strategy requires the entire Democratic Senate caucus to support it, leaving no room for error.