Washington – The group of ten Republican senators who want to negotiate with President Biden on a new round of COVID-19 relief announced details of their proposal on Monday, hours before lawmakers do so. set to meet with the President in the White House.
The group’s proposal, led by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, is about $ 618 billion, or about a third the size of the $ 1.9 billion plan proposed by the president and Democratic leaders in Congress. The group’s counter-offer comes as Democrats of Congress prepare to proceed with the government’s proposed plan, with or without IDP support.
“Mr President, we acknowledge your calls for unity and want to work with your government in good faith to address the health, economic and social challenges of the COVID crisis,” the senators said in a joint statement. . “We look forward to discussing our proposal in detail with you this afternoon in the White House.”
The IDP plan calls for another round stimulus checks paid directly to taxpayers, but would limit the income level of those who are eligible to receive it to a lower level than the previous rounds of assistance. People earning less than $ 40,000 will receive $ 1,000, with the amount decreasing for those earning between $ 40,000 and $ 50,000.
Couples who submit jointly will receive the double amount, with the amount decreasing for those earning more than $ 80,000 up to $ 100,000. An additional $ 500 is provided for each dependent child and adult. Previous rounds of direct payments were based on the revenue reported on the 2019 tax returns. The plan of mr. Biden requires $ 1400 checks for most low- and middle-income earners.
The proposal also extended extended federal unemployment insurance to $ 300 per week through June 30, in addition to state benefits. Mr. Biden has asked for an extension of the unemployment benefit of $ 400 per week until September.
The plan includes $ 160 billion for a national vaccination program, the production of personal protective equipment and extensive testing, as well as a $ 40 billion injection into the Paycheck Protection Program to provide loans to small businesses. It would also allocate $ 20 billion in an initiative to get children back to school, extending the expanded SNAP benefits to September at a cost of $ 3 billion.
The IDP proposal contains no funds allocated to state and local governments, and does not mention raising the federal minimum wage, both of the top priorities in the government package.
The senators who signed on to the proposal include Collins, Rob Portman of Ohio, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, 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.
Mr. Biden plans to meet with the group on Monday to discuss the proposal and its administration’s plan. The White House said the president was open to a “full exchange of ideas.”
Ed O’Keefe reported.