Biden’s assistants told congressional allies that they should expect the Covid relief package to cost about $ 2 billion.

Biden’s assistants told congressional allies that they should expect the Covid relief package to cost about $ 2 billion.

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The Biden team is taking a “shoot for the moon” approach with the package, one lawmaker who was in close contact with them told CNN, although they added that the price could still change. The proposal includes substantial direct payments to U.S. families, significant state and local funding – including the distribution of coronavirus vaccines and other emergency spending measures – to help those struggling during the pandemic.

Biden will announce the details of his plan in Wilmington, Delaware, on Thursday night.

Democrats have only the smallest majority in the House and Senate, and Republicans recently resisted passing the Covid-19 relief on a multi-trillion-dollar scale. But Biden’s party believes it can only have a short window to pass comprehensive relief legislation, and that the president-elect has come under heavy pressure from some Democrats.
Biden calls on Senate to pursue accusations along with the country's 'other urgent matters'

Brian Deese, Biden’s choice to lead the National Economic Council, said at a conference on Wednesday that the package would include $ 2,000 stimulus checks, and would address other emergency relief measures such as unemployment insurance.

Biden’s early focus on a comprehensive relief package reflects the political reality that his first year in office will be defined by his ability to fight the virus and prevent an economic collapse.
And with just a few days to go before he takes office, the pandemic is now dead faster than at any point in 2020. According to Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. reported its highest death toll in Covid-19 on Tuesday in one day: 4,327.
As a result, Biden insists on withholding the forthcoming Senate trial to devour his agenda and overshadow the early days of his government. He is still awaiting the question of whether the Senate will be able to prosecute along with the cabinet confirmation hearings and the Covid-19 legislation.

Aides says Biden and his team are working behind the scenes with the Senate Democrats – and House executives – to hold the indictment as soon as possible, although it remains an open question how successful it can be.

In a statement Wednesday night, Biden made it clear that although the House’s vote ‘to declare and hold the president responsible’ ‘is a two-party vote cast by members who have followed the Constitution and their conscience’, he does not want the Senate hearing to be hampered. his agenda.

“This country also remains in the grip of a deadly virus and a weaker economy,” Biden continued. “I hope the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their constitutional responsibilities during indictment while also working on the other urgent matters of this country.”

This story was updated on Wednesday with additional information.

CNN’s Jeff Zeleny, Dan Merica, Gregory Krieg and Caroline Kelly contributed to this report.

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