Republicans pressure Biden to cut $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan

Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) walk into the Senate House Majority Leader’s office before a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY ) on Capitol Hill in Washington, USA, December 3, 2020. REUTERS / Tom Brenner / File Photo

WASHINGTON – Ten moderate Republican senators on Sunday urged Democratic President Joe Biden to significantly reduce his $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package to win bipartisan support as Democrats in Congress prepared to move forward with his plan this week. week.

A senior White House economic adviser expressed willingness to discuss ideas raised by Republican senators who proposed a $ 600 billion alternative, but said the president was unwilling to commit to the need for a comprehensive bill to address the public health crisis and economic consequences.

“He is open to ideas, wherever they come from. … What he’s adamant about is the need to move quickly on a comprehensive approach here, “Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, told NBC’s” Meet the Press. ” “A gradual approach … is not a recipe for success.”

It was unclear whether the approach of 10 of the 50 Republicans in the 100-seat chamber would change the plans of Congressional Democrats to adopt the legislation in the coming days. Biden and his fellow Democrats seek to use their control of the House of Representatives and the Senate to move quickly toward the president’s primary goal of addressing the pandemic.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said his chamber would start working on it this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress will complete a preliminary step before the end of the week.

Congress enacted $ 4 billion in COVID-19 relief last year.

Passing the new aid legislation would not only affect Americans and businesses reeling during a pandemic that has killed an estimated 440,000 people in the United States, but it also offers early proof of Biden’s promise to work for close the partisan divide in Washington. Biden took office on January 20.

Biden’s proposal includes $ 160 billion for vaccines and tests, $ 170 billion for schools and universities, and funds to award certain Americans a stimulus check of $ 1,400 per person, among other provisions.

Some Republicans have questioned the overall price, while others urged more specific measures, particularly on direct payments to people.

In their letter to Biden, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney and seven other senators asked Biden for a meeting and said his compromise proposal could be approved quickly with the support of both parties, promising more details on Monday.

They said their proposal included more targeted assistance for families in need and additional funding for small businesses, while echoing Biden’s $ 160 billion for more funding to push vaccines and testing. They also pointed to unspent money from previous COVID-19 relief bills.

“Ours is around $ 600 billion. … We are addressing the needs of the American people, “Senator Bill Cassidy, one of the 10 senators, told” Fox News Sunday. “

Cassidy added that her plan included less school funding, saying that many private schools had already reopened and that “the real problem is the public schools” and “the teacher unions telling their teachers not to go to work.”

Also Republican Rob Portman, who also signed the letter, told CNN’s “State of the Union” program that direct checks should be limited to people making $ 50,000 or less and families making $ 100,000 or less.

Deese said the White House was reviewing the letter, but did not say whether Biden would meet with the group, which also included Republicans Shelley Moore Capito, Todd Young, Jerry Moran and Michael Rounds.

The United States leads the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths by a wide margin. The Biden administration seeks to increase lagging vaccination efforts as problematic new variants of the novel coronavirus emerge.

Some moderate Democrats also urged changes to the Biden package, while more liberal Democrats have pushed for more spending and other provisions, such as raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15 per hour, more than double the current $ 7.25 per hour. hour.

Senator Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, told CNN’s “State of the Union” show that the Republicans’ letter was “a positive sign that people want to work together.”

With the Senate split 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris wielding the tiebreaker vote, Democrats are considering using a parliamentary tool called “reconciliation” that would allow the House to pass the bill by a simple majority. Under Senate rules, the legislation generally requires 60 votes to pass.

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