WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has agreed to meet with a group of ten Republican senators who have suggested that about one-third of the $ 1.9 trillion he seeks should be spent on coronavirus assistance, even though Congress Democrats are ready to continue without Republican support.
Sunday’s invitation to the White House came hours after lawmakers sent a letter to Biden asking him to negotiate rather than try through Democratic votes only through his emergency relief package. The House and Senate are on the verge of voting on a budget resolution as soon as this week, which would lay the groundwork for the adoption of an auxiliary package under rules that require only a simple majority vote in the now divided Senate.
The goal is to continue by March, when extra unemployment benefits and other pandemic benefits expire. The meeting hosted by Biden would amount to the president’s greatest involvement in the negotiations for the next round of virus relief. Democratic and Republican lawmakers are far apart in their proposals for help.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that Biden spoke with the group’s leader, Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine. Although Biden wants a “complete exchange of views”, Psaki reiterated that he is still in favor of a far-reaching emergency relief package. A meeting can come in a few days.
“As the virus poses a serious threat to the country, and the economic conditions for so many are bad, the need for action is urgent, and the scale of what needs to be done is huge,” Psaki said.
The group said in a letter that the counter-proposal would include $ 160 billion for vaccines, tests, treatment and personal protective equipment and that it was more focused on relief than Biden’s plan to issue most Americans $ 1,400 stimulus checks. .
Winning the support of ten Republicans will be of great importance to Biden in the 50-50 Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris is the break-even point. If all Democrats supported a final compromise bill, the legislation would reach the threshold of 60 votes needed to overcome potential blocking efforts and succeed under regular Senate procedures.
“In the spirit of duality and unity, we have developed a COVID-19 assistance framework that builds on previous COVID assistance laws, all of which have been passed with dual support,” Republican senators wrote. “Our proposal reflects many of your stated priorities, and with your support, we believe that this plan can be quickly approved by Congress with dual support.”
The plea that Biden should give more time to dual negotiations comes because the president has shown signs of impatience as the more liberal wing of his party is considering passing on the relief package through a process known as budget reconciliation. This will advance the bill with only the support of its Democratic majority.
The Republicans did not provide many details of their proposal. One of the signatories, Senator Bill Cassidy, Louisiana, said it would cost about $ 600 billion.
“If you can not find a dual compromise on COVID-19, I do not know where to find it,” said Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who also signed the letter.
But even when Biden addressed the invitation to Republican lawmakers, Psaki said $ 1,400 aid tests, substantial funding for school reopening, help to small businesses and families were hurt, and more “much needed.”
“As leading economists have said, the danger now is not too much, but doing too little,” Psaki said. “Americans from both parties are looking forward to their leaders meeting the moment.”
Biden also spoke on Sunday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The more liberal Democratic members are under increasing pressure to continue with Biden’s legislation with or without Republican support.
The other GOP senators invited to meet with Biden are Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Shelley Moore Capito of Western Virginia, Todd Young of Indiana, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
Brian Deese, the White House’s leading economic adviser leading the government’s outreach to Congress, said earlier Sunday that government officials were reviewing the letter. He did not immediately commit to a Biden meeting with lawmakers.
But Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser to Biden, said the president was “very willing to meet with anyone to advance the agenda.” Asked about the senators’ plan, Richmond said: “It’s about the seriousness of the goal.”
Deese has indicated that the White House is open to negotiations on who will receive stimulus checks. Portman suggested that the checks should go to individuals earning no more than $ 50,000 a year, and families with an amount of $ 100,000 a year.
Under the Biden plan, families with an income of up to $ 300,000 can receive stimulus money.
“This is definitely a place where we want to sit and reflect. Are there ways to make the whole package more effective?” Deese said.
As a candidate, Biden predicted his decades in the Senate and his eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president gave him credibility as an agreement and would help him bring Republicans and Democrats to unanimity on the key issues facing the country in the facing.
But less than two weeks into his presidency, Biden has shown frustration over the pace of negotiations at a time when the economy was showing further evidence of the pandemic. Last week, 847,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits, a sign that layoffs remain high while the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage.
‘I support the passing of COVID relief with the support of the Republicans if we can get it. But the COVID relief must pass – no if, and or if, ‘Biden said on Friday.
In the letter, Republican lawmakers reminded Biden in his inaugural address that the challenges facing the country “require the most elusive things in a democracy: Unity.”
Cassidy separately criticized the current Biden plan as ‘crammed with handouts and payouts to Democratic constituency groups’.
“You want the patina of duality … so it’s not unity,” Cassidy said.
Jared Bernstein, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said Biden remains willing to negotiate, but that officials should see more details from Republicans. At the same time, Bernstein argued the government’s argument that too little to stimulate the economy could have an enormous impact on the economy in the short and long term.
“Look, the American people really can no less care about the budget process, whether it’s ordinary order, duality, whether it’s filibuster, or whether it’s reconciliation,” Bernstein said. “They need relief, and they need it now.”
Portman and Deese were on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and Deese was also interviewed on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Cassidy and Bernstein appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and Richmond was on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”