“People can talk to whoever they want, but this country is facing huge crises,” said Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Who is chairman of the Budget Committee. “The elections have consequences. We are the majority and we have to act. “
Across the Capitol, House Democrats are eyeing dueling approaches on how to deal with the next coronavirus aid package – Biden’s first significant legislative priority, and one that will be a harbinger for others. The bill was already going to be a major uprising, arriving just a few weeks after Congress passed a nearly $ 1 trillion aid package. Now it has also become the first visible crack between the Democratic Party’s more moderate and left wing wings, which is under intense pressure to materialize.
Some centrist Democrats, like Manchin, insist that Biden’s package must be bipartisan – like all other coronavirus aid bills to date – and say the government needs to curtail its initial $ 1.9 trillion proposal. But many others are unwilling to wait, with the money badly needed for vaccine distribution at stake, as well as a host of other priorities left out of the latest deal. In particular, Republicans are resisting Biden’s proposal to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 and conservatives loathe spending on state and local governments.
“If they thought it was impossible, I don’t think they would be wasting time. Their first mission is to find a bipartisan path to follow, ”said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (DN.J.) of the Biden team, with whom he is working on a bipartisan approach..
But another group of Democrats – doubtful of bipartisan talks and eager to offer more relief – says the only way forward is to force Biden’s package on his own, using the unstable budgeting tool known as reconciliation to obstruct the bill in Congress without votes from the Republican Party.
Democratic Senate leaders, meanwhile, are establishing a middle ground: give Republicans some time, but run over them if they are too late. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that he prefers to have the Republican Party on board, but will move without them if necessary.
“I hope it doesn’t lead to that,” said Senate majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). But he indicated that his party is exploring how far it can go with reconciliation, such as including an increase in the minimum wage. “In the past, Republicans have changed some of the rules regarding reconciliation to accommodate their legislative efforts.”
But moving towards a party line vote “would send exactly the wrong message,” said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Who is part of the bipartisan group of 16 senators who spoke with senior Biden officials on Sunday. “We need to be united and reach some consensus”.
In addition, Democrats control only 50 seats in the Senate and 221 seats in the House. This means that passing a bill on a party line will require almost total unity, which is not easy: just ask Republicans who failed to repeal Obamacare with reconciliation in 2017.
And for now, Democrats have ruled out eviscerating the obstruction, restricting their options to reconciliation or recruiting 10 Senate Republicans for coronavirus relief. Several central Republican senators resisted the Biden government plan over the weekend.
Even if they decide to throw away the idea of a bipartisan bill, Democrats did not agree on the size of the party effort. Sanders and others argued that Democrats can force huge policy changes, such as a $ 15 minimum wage – a long-standing progressive priority – through the budget process, even if it requires a virtually unprecedented erosion of Senate rules and potentially empower the Republican Party to take similar steps along the line.
Each provision in a reconciliation package must pass the so-called Byrd Rule, which means that it must have a significant effect on federal income, expenditure or debt. Ultimately, the Senate congressman must decide what qualifies – although some Democrats are pushing to override the congressman if the minimum wage increase is rejected.
House Budget President John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) – who is skeptical about the minimum wage outweighing Byrd’s rule – said it would be the “ultimate power movement” if Democrats tried to force it.
“I’m not sure it’s the smartest thing to do,” said Yarmuth. “You need to worry about the precedents.”
There is also some discussion about drawing up a “payment” for an increase in the minimum wage, such as levying a tax on companies that refuse to participate, acknowledged Yarmuth.
Sanders argued that the Senate can “absolutely” approve a minimum wage increase with reconciliation: “We will make the case … that when you raise the minimum wage, people will become less dependent on public assistance and this will save the federal government substantial sums of money. This is the main argument. “
For now, Democrats say they are following parallel paths. The House may vote next week to take the first step towards an exclusively Democratic bill, passing a budget resolution that includes instructions to unblock reconciliation, while bipartisan negotiations continue in both chambers. Lawmakers will present this budget bill on Monday.
Democrats say they have no choice but to move forward with reconciliation now, as it will probably take several weeks if Democrats decide to implement the privileged procedure.
“If we’re going to use reconciliation, we have to move forward very soon, but that doesn’t stop a negotiated package, either,” said Yarmuth. “At worst, it’s Plan A, and at best, it’s Plan B.”
Durbin said Senate Democrats did not make a final decision on when to move forward with a budget resolution. This opens a vote-a-rama and unlimited votes for amendments, and Biden still needs to have his office confirmed before the impeachment trial, which is scheduled to begin the week of February 8.
In initial talks with the Biden government, both Republicans and Democrats in that group were left with few answers about exactly how much money was left over from the December $ 900 billion account and what was needed. The price of a potential commitment package has not yet been discussed. And given that the latest coronavirus bill took about seven months to complete, Democrats warn that this round cannot be subject to the same delay.
And it is clear that there is much repressed desire in the party to establish its priorities after 10 years without full control by Washington.
“I don’t think it’s time for half-measures,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.). “I would absolutely support doing this through reconciliation. The sooner the better, my state is suffering and we need the municipal and state money. “