Republican leaders in both chambers are trying to keep all their members in line with the $ 1.9 billion Covid-19 emergency relief plan, a move that will deny President Biden a two-party victory and one that could pass the bill in the Senate. drop if any Democrat breaks the ranks. .
But the move comes down to a political risk for Republicans with polls showing that the majority of Americans support an emergency rescue package and that the economy continues to fall under the coronavirus pandemic.
Republicans, therefore, intend to begin urgent public relations work now to argue that the bill is inflated, poorly targeted, and contains a large number of measures aimed at pleasing the Democratic base. Tuesday and that they plan to echo in the coming days, the participants say.
“If the Democrats continue on their path and that is to make no effort to try to get Republican input or ideas, it makes it difficult for any of our members, even those who are inclined to do so to vote for it. “to vote for anything,” Senate minority whip John Thune told CNN. “So if it’s in the current contours, it’s hard to see that many, if any, Republicans are for it, especially given the way the Democrats have approached it.”
During lunch on Tuesday, GOP senators spoke at length about the Democrats’ bill, with contestants appearing in the foreground, and sharply criticizing it. They discussed their strategy of putting Democrats in a difficult political position when voting changes take place in the Senate next week, while, according to the participants, they also propose some middle changes that could attract democratic support.
And then Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell described the Democrats’ plan as “totally biased”, while acknowledging that his party needed to work on the messages, in light of public support for the Biden plan.
“I’m sure everyone would like to get a check,” McConnell said, referring to the checks of up to $ 1,400 for certain individuals in the proposal. ‘But they have not yet learned what is still in it, and part of us work as the largest minority. Remember that we are here in a 50-50 senate, is to make sure that the American people fully understand what is being proposed. ‘
Democrats, however, argue that they have a mandate after winning the White House and Senate and that they have acted urgently to provide assistance to a U.S. public suffering from the devastating toll of the ongoing pandemic. They have insisted they are willing to work with Republicans, but they will not water down the plan – a lesson they say they learned from then-President Barack Obama’s first stimulus plan in 2009.
CNN’s Olanma Mang, Ted Barrett and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.