WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has pledged a $ 1.9 billion Republican Republican alternative to his COVID rescue plan as inadequate as the Democrats of the Senate have pushed and voted to launch a process that could approve its comprehensive rescue package on their own, if Republicans refuse to support it.
Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined Democratic senators on Tuesday for a private virtual meeting, declaring both Republicans’ $ 618 billion bid was too small. They urged big swift action to stop the coronavirus pandemic crisis and its economic downturn.
Biden is likely to repeat that message on Wednesday as he increases his public relations with lawmakers on the issue. The White House announced that Biden would discuss the rescue plan by telephone with House Democrats, followed by a meeting of the Oval Office with the Democratic senators.
While the White House is striving for a dual bill, the Democrats voted their ever-slim majority of the Senate 50-49 to begin a lengthy process for approving Biden’s bill with or without IDP support. The goal is to get COVID-19 relief approved by March, when extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic assistance expire.
“President Biden has spoken of the need for Congress to respond boldly and swiftly,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after lunch. “If we were to do such a small package, we would be trapped in the COVID crisis for years.”
The Democrats’ swift action on Capitol Hill underscores the urgency of making Biden’s top legislative priority, although talks are underway privately between Republicans and the White House, as well as with Central Democrats, about possible changes to the package to broaden two-time support win.
Biden articulated his views during the virtual lunch meeting with Democrats by talking about the need not to forget working- and middle-class families – even those like nurses and pipe coppers who earn $ 150,000 for a family of four – who, according to the crisis, suffering. person granting anonymity to discuss the private call.
The previous evening, Biden met with ten Republican senators. make their $ 618 billion alternative available and let it be known that it is insufficient to meet the country’s needs. The president has made it clear that he will not delay aid in the hope of gaining IDP support.
Although no compromise was reached during the late Monday session, the White House talks with Republicans are in private.
The result will put the new president to the test to unite the country, but the increase in the COVID-19 death toll and stubborn high unemployment numbers, with political risks on all sides. Vaccine distribution, direct payments of $ 1400 to households, reopening of schools and business assistance are all at stake.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell criticized the Democrats for pushing for their own. He said he had spoken to Biden before his meeting with the ten GOP senators.
“They chose a completely biased path,” McConnell said. “It’s a pity.”
The two parties are far apart, with the Republican group of ten senators focusing primarily on the health care crisis and smaller direct aid of $ 1,000 to Americans than the $ 1,400 payments proposed by Biden, while the president leads the Democrats to ‘ a more comprehensive rescue plan to support the country. households, local governments and a partly shrunken economy.
In the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated Biden’s view that the risk was not to create too large a package, but to provide too little assistance. She said the president was hopeful that GOP ideas would be put forward, and said nothing prevented Republicans from participating in the process.
“We need to make sure people get the relief they need,” she said.
White House officials had previously cited the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as evidence of broad support for their plan, but the country’s main business group issued a letter. Tuesday, which prompted a two-way compromise.
“There must be a common ground for a dual proposal that can become law,” Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer, said in an interview.
The cornerstone of the IDP plan is $ 160 billion for the healthcare response – distribution of vaccines, a “massive expansion” of testing, protective equipment and funds for rural hospitals, similar to what Biden proposed.
But from there, the two plans differ drastically. Biden proposes $ 170 billion for schools, compared to $ 20 billion in the Republican plan. Republicans would also give nothing to states, money that Democrats say is just as important, with $ 350 billion in Biden’s plan to keep police, firefighters and other workers at work.
The $ 1,000 direct payments from the IDP go to fewer households, individuals earning up to $ 40,000 a year, or $ 80,000 for couples. That’s less than Biden’s proposal of $ 1,400 direct payments at higher income levels, up to $ 300,000 for some households.
Republicans are offering $ 40 billion in support of the Paycheck Protection Program. But democratic priorities are gone, such as a gradual lifting of the federal minimum wage up to $ 15 per hour.
According to Schumer, Biden told Democratic senators that he had let Republicans know he was willing to make adjustments.
But both Biden and Yellen recalled the lessons of the government’s response to the 2009 financial crisis, which some say has been inadequate since then as circumstances worsen. Biden said he told Republicans their offer was “completely too small,” Schumer said.
Gaining the support of ten Republicans would be significant, which would allow Biden to vote in the 50-50 Senate to the threshold of 60 votes normally required to advance legislation. Vice President Kamala Harris is the tiebreaker.
Cautious Democrats continued Tuesday’s vote and did not want to take too much time to give support to GOP that may not materialize, or that could lead to a too meager package.
The process steps are the basis for eventual approval under the budget reconciliation process that makes it possible for the bill to pass the Senate by a majority of 51 votes, rather than the 60 votes normally required.
The vote on Tuesday opens a 50-hour debate on a budget resolution, with amendments expected later this week. The House intends to launch a similar process.
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Associated Press authors Alan Fram, Jonathan Lemire, Alexandra Jaffe, Darlene Superville and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.