- Senate Democrats have begun the process of passing the Biden rescue package without any IDP votes.
- “We are not going to dilute, eradicate or delay because the needs of the American people are just too great,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told a news conference before the vote.
- Biden encouraged Democrats to grow up and said lawmakers should learn the 2009 lessons.
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Senate Democrats on Tuesday took the first step to ensure the implementation of President Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 billion bailout package, thus promoting a budget resolution in a maneuver that would allow them to approve it without any Republican support.
It was a 50-49 party list vote. Every Democratic senator supported it and all Republicans were united in their opposition. GOP Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania was absent.
“We are not going to dilute, eradicate or delay because the needs of the American people are just too great,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told a news conference before the vote. “Time is of the essence.”
The vote begins the budget reconciliation process in the Senate. This would allow Democrats to pass the Biden plan with only 51 votes instead of the super-majority of 60 votes usually required for most bills. The resolution sets up a “vote-a-rama” later this week when any senator can propose an amendment. Debating and voting on it can take many hours.
Biden held a private lunch call with Senate Democrats on Tuesday, a day after he housed a group of Republican senators in the Oval Office to discuss their $ 618 billion counter-offer.
The proposal would significantly reduce spending on the president’s emergency relief priorities, reduce the amount of stimulus tests, and limit the extension of federal unemployment benefits to June. It was completely rejected by the Democrats. Schumer said Biden urged Democratic lawmakers to “act boldly and swiftly.”
“He was very strong in emphasizing the need for a large, daring package,” Schumer said. “He said he told the Senate Republicans that the $ 600 billion they are proposing is far too small.”
A source familiar with Biden’s remarks told Insider that the president stressed that there was greater danger of going too small to fight the pandemic. Biden urged lawmakers to learn the lessons of the 2009 recession, when Democrats passed a $ 830 billion stimulus package that many economists say is now insufficient to deal with the economic wreckage of the financial crisis.
The person received anonymity because the comment was private.
Biden continues its $ 1.9 billion emergency spending plan. There are so far few signs that he will amend it in a material way to lament Republicans who claim it is too big.
The plan includes provisions such as a new wave of $ 1,400 stimulus checks, $ 400 federal unemployment benefits through September, and funds for the distribution of vaccine and virus testing. It also sets aside significant money for states and local governments and gradually raises the minimum wage to $ 15 per hour.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a news conference on Tuesday that the government was committed to accepting their entire proposal. She also said that the president did not intend to reduce it to the $ 1,000 proposed in the IDP plan, while the White House was prepared to negotiate the revenue thresholds of the stimulus checks.
Schumer indicated that he and his office are in close communication with Biden.
“Joe Biden is completely on board to use reconciliation. I talked to him every day,” he told the news conference. “Our staff has been talking several times a day.”