President Biden is open to negotiations over his $ 1.9 billion Covid-19 aid package, a senior administration official told CNN, but the $ 600 billion counter-proposal announced by some Republican senators on Sunday is “not going to work” do not scratch ‘.
The White House is specifically open to considering reducing stimulus checks for families earning more than $ 150,000 a year, the official said, but the government is not considering cutting off months of unemployment insurance or money going to schools not.
The official told CNN that if the Republican counter-proposal moves forward, lawmakers will have to renegotiate in two months, which could happen in an even worse political landscape. The official said that although the Biden government is open to their aid package of less than $ 1.9 billion, they are not considering a $ 600 billion plan.
The Republican emergency relief package still represents the most important response to the White House’s planned package, but with a price tag of more than a trillion dollars less than the Democratic plan, the IDP proposal is likely to come up against the Congress Democrats. .
The counter-proposal includes a total of $ 160 billion for the development and distribution of vaccines, testing and detection, and treatment and supplies, including the production and use of personal protective equipment. It also includes a new round of direct payments for ‘families most in need’, increasing federal unemployment benefits at the current level and offering $ 4 billion to promote health and drug abuse behaviors.
But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told the New York Daily News Sunday that the Republican proposal was inadequate, declaring that Republicans “should negotiate with us, not make an offer or take-it-should-do.” .
And Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said earlier Sunday that he thinks there are enough Democratic votes to implement Biden’s Covid-19 relief package through a process known as reconciliation, which is only a simple majority. need.
Biden said he was not against reconciliation, but officials said Sunday the White House “wants to give the Republicans a place, but they are not going to become snooker.”
The deliberations on the relief package are an early test for Biden’s strong commitment to step down during his time as president. In his inaugural address earlier this month, the president called for duality and unity.
As of Sunday evening, no decisions have been made on the meeting with either party.