President Biden and Democrats are signaling that they will continue with a $ 1.9 billion COVID-19 relief bill by using special budget rules to bypass a GOP filibuster.
A day after Biden held a meeting in the White House with ten Republican senators in support of moving a much smaller package, Biden called a Senate Democrats meeting and encouraged them to go big and fast. to move.
Although ‘going big’ does not exclude any agreement between the White House and the Republicans, but it does suggest that Biden wants to continue with a much larger package that even the centrist Republicans can support despite the president’s statements that he is Washington and Washington wants to unite. working with Republicans.
Biden met with a group of ten Republican senators in the White House on Monday – including one by conference – and several of them gave the impression that he could thwart a democratic effort to speed up a biased emergency relief package in Congress. to give more time for dual negotiations.
But on Tuesday, his message to Senate Democrats during a conference call for lunch was clear: go big and move fast on a COVID-19 bill.
‘President Biden spoke about the need for Congress to respond boldly and swiftly. He emphasizes the need for a large, daring package. “He told the Senate Republicans that the $ 600 billion they are proposing is far too small,” the Senate Majority Leader said. Charles Schumer
Capitol Police Officer Chuck Schumer Brian Sicknick is honored in Rotunda Democrats present a resolution condemning white supremacists before Trump trial. (DN.Y.) told reporters after the Democratic assembly.
The president is backed by the treasury secretary Janet Yellen
Janet Louise YellenOn The Money: Biden calls Dems, insists on large COVID account | Biden’s SEC choice overturned when GameStop drama unfolds Bezos steps down as Senate Democrats CEO Amazon takes the first step toward the big COVID-19 bill A government official’s advice to incoming government : listen more to KISS, which warned that a legal aid bill closer to the $ 618 billion proposed by the GOP’s 10 Republicans could cause the economy to struggle for years to fully recover.
Schumer said Biden and Yellen agree with him and the speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiSchiff lobbyist for Newsom to be appointed as California AG: reports Biden testifies the future of the slain Capitol police officer, Sicknick Greene, in house committees in limbo after the GOP MEI meeting (D-California) that if Congress decides with a smaller bill, “we will be trapped in the COVID crisis for years to come.”
But Republicans argue that the centerpiece of Biden’s plan – a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour – could actually hurt the economy and they have a powerful ally in Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinProgressives Target Manchin, Cinema With New PAC Manchin Warns Against Democracy-Only Coronavirus Bill On The Money: Biden Means Dems, Urges Big COVID Bill | Biden’s SEC choice overturned when GameStop drama unfolds Bezos steps out more than Amazon’s CEO (DW.Va.), who announced Tuesday he does not support raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15.
Sen. Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins: Manchin supports budget reconciliation for the bill, but with a warning chief for the interception bureau: Schumer will suffice with COVID-19 help to avoid primary The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook. Biden, GOP senators start talks; Dems push MORE (R-Maine), which convened the GOP meeting with Biden on Monday, says a minimum wage increase should be moved separately.
“It’s not relevant to treatment or economic recovery or to eliminating vaccines,” she said Tuesday. “It will actually be very difficult for the hospitality industry, which has been particularly disadvantaged.”
Manchin said Tuesday he wants to set the federal minimum wage at a level “that is responsible and reasonable.” He said it would be $ 11 per hour in West Virginia, adjusted for inflation.
Schumer must unite all 50 members of its caucus to adopt a budget resolution that will set out the special path for the adoption of a COVID enlightenment bill by a simple majority vote later in the year.
Manchin, along with 49 other members of the Democratic Conference, voted Tuesday to advance the budget resolution, but warned that any legal aid pursued under the budget conciliation rules to avoid a filibuster should be targeted and significant input from Republican colleagues must have.
‘I would vote to continue the budget process because we need to address the urgency of the COVID-19 crisis. But let me be clear – these are words I shared with President Biden – our focus should be on the COVID-19 crisis and Americans who have been most affected by this pandemic, ‘Manchin said in a statement.
Manchin, whose voice is critical to succeeding Biden’s highest legislative priority by a simple majority, declined to say how big a package he wants to support.
“I can not tell you where the right numbers are, but if you have a good dual input, you can discuss and debate, then you get a good program,” he said.
Biden will have to balance these rival factions on Capitol Hill to preserve his reputation as a pragmatic leader willing to work with the opposition and keep his base happy.
Several of the GOP senators who met with Biden thought after the meeting that he would try to restrain Schumer and Pelosi from rushing ahead with a biased $ 1.9 billion aid package.
‘He said he should talk to Schumer and Pelosi in his next talks and see where they can go, but as far as good faith is concerned, he is prepared to hear from them and see what he can do, even if adopted a speedy bill like this and later addressed the other things, ‘said a Senate Assistant to the Senate who was briefed on the meeting, referring to the possibility of a smaller two-party bill with IDPs. vote before the Democrats pass a larger biased bill with 51. votes under budget reconciliation.
Other Republicans in the room with Biden on Monday got the impression that the president might agree to move a dual package outside of the complicated budget reconciliation process. It is necessary to pick up 10 GOP votes to collect the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster.
“It’s clear what encouraged us,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann Murkowski: The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Biden tests GOP negotiation skills in today’s COVID relief meeting GOP senators unveil 8 billion coronavirus proposal before Biden meeting Biden meeting with GOP senators Monday on coronavirus relief MORE (R-Alaska) who was in the meeting Monday. ‘There has been an exchange of views, but also a promise to exchange and build on some of our resources and data and explore where we can make adjustments.
“He did not say, ‘I’m going to call Nancy and Chuck right away,’ but he gave me the assurance that ‘I heard, and we’re going to find out how we’ll move forward here. “I would assume that ‘moving here’ would be to share the outcome of our discussions with the House and Senate leadership,” she said.
Asked if Biden was willing to ask Democratic leaders to give bilingual talks enough time to hammer out an agreement, Murkowski said: “He clearly understood us, he clearly knows – he understands what it means to try to bring about an agreement. and need some space. ‘
But at the same time, Murkowski said the president “also very clearly hears the desire of the Democratic leadership and what they want to do” to draft a major bill immediately.
“He told us we have people on the other side who feel pretty strongly that they do not want to wait for Republican deals,” she added.
Sen. Thom Tillis
Thomas (Thom) Roland Tillis The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Biden tests GOP negotiation skills in today’s COVID relief meeting GOP senators unveil 8 billion coronavirus proposal ahead of Biden meeting Biden meeting with GOP senators Monday on coronavirus relief MORE (RN.C.) said: “On some of the most important issues, whether it was individual assistance payments, some of the things we are talking about for government funding, he was in an honest position to be willing to talk about them. “
Tillis said Biden “said he was cooperating with his majority” and warned that “every step he takes towards us could potentially cost the other side votes.”
“I think he wants to deliver a result,” he added.
‘We did talk about what things we could just accept and reach as a consensus, because time is of the essence. If you think about it, if we go [budget] vote-a-rama this week and then we’ll be in charge, it could be March before some of these priority items are sent to his desk, ”Tillis said.
He said he thinks Biden is open to moving a smaller bipartisan package before Democrats put a bigger bill under budget reconciliation.
But other Republicans had a less optimistic pick of Monday’s assembly.
“I got the impression that he was trying to be cordial and let us know that he appreciated the fact that we reached out,” Sen. Mike Rounds
Mike Rounds Senate Democrats take first step toward major COVID-19 bill The Hill’s 12:30 report: Biden tests GOP negotiation skills in today’s COVID relief meeting GOP senators unveil 8 billion coronavirus proposal before Biden meeting MORE (RS.D.), who attended the meeting by telephone. “To be honest, it made me feel like he thought that if he could do it without Republicans, he’s more than willing to do it.”
Asked if Biden was open to breaking up his package by separating a dual bill from the reconciliation process, Rounds said, “I did not hear it.”
Another Republican senator who met with Biden on Monday said the president appeared “in conflict” between working with moderate GOP senators and simply pushing his own $ 1.9 billion plan through Congress using budget reconciliation .
“I think he’s probably colliding. I think he really wants to work with us and his advisers and the Democrats above say, ‘Do not even try.’
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
Shelley Wellons Moore CapitoBiden names Democrats, urges COVID-19 emergency relief bill GOP senators unveil 8 billion coronavirus proposal ahead of Biden meeting Biden meeting with GOP senators Monday on coronavirus relief MORE (RW.Va.) agreed on Tuesday that Biden appears more willing than some of his top advisers to work with Republican lawmakers.
‘It looks like he’s willing to continue the conversation and keep watching, but when I read the aftermath of the remarks like his spokesman, and I think there was another person commenting on it from his office, “It seemed like it was the end of it and we were moving forward,” she said.
– Jordain Carney contributed.