The White House is specifically open to considering reducing stimulus checks for families earning more than $ 150,000 a year, the official said, but the government is not considering cutting off months of unemployment insurance or money going to schools not.
The official told CNN that if the Republican counter-proposal moves forward, lawmakers will have to renegotiate in two months, which could happen in an even worse political landscape. The official said that although the Biden government is open to their aid package of less than $ 1.9 billion, they are not considering a $ 600 billion plan.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Sunday night that Biden had invited the GOP senators to the White House behind the counter-proposal, “for a full exchange of views.”
“As the virus poses a serious threat to the country, and the economic conditions for so many are bad, the need for action is urgent, and the scale of what needs to be done is huge,” she said.
The Republican emergency relief package still represents the most important response to the White House’s planned package, but with a price of more than a trillion dollars less than the Democratic plan, the IDP proposal is likely to come up against the Congress Democrats. .
The counter-proposal includes a total of $ 160 billion for the development and distribution of vaccines, testing and detection, and treatment and supplies, including the production and use of personal protective equipment. It also includes a new round of direct payments for ‘families most in need’, increasing federal unemployment benefits at the current level and offering $ 4 billion to promote health and drug abuse behaviors.
Biden said he was not against reconciliation, but officials said Sunday the White House “wants to give the Republicans a place, but they are not going to become snooker.”
The deliberations on the relief package are an early test for Biden’s strong commitment to step down during his time as president. In his inaugural address earlier this month, the president called for duality and unity.
As of Sunday night, no decisions had been made about the meeting with either party, although Psaki noted in her statement that Biden had spoken to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Schumer about the legislation.
The president, she said, “is grateful that Congress is prepared to act in the U.S. bailout plan in just its second full week in office.”
CNN’s Manu Raju, Paul LeBlanc, Dana Bash, Lauren Fox, Devan Cole and Daniella Diaz contributed to this report.