Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressives continue to push for robust relief from COVID-19, regardless of whether or not the Biden government obtains bipartisan support for a $ 1.9 trillion package that includes $ 1,400 checks for millions of Americans.
While several Republicans and some moderate Democrats are asking President Joe Biden to cut the price of his proposal and issue more direct payments of $ 1,000 to struggling Americans, Sanders says it is not the time to allow the bargain to hinder relief from the pandemic.
“The issue is not bipartisanship,” Sanders told ABC News on Sunday. “The question is, are we going to address the incredible set of crises and pain and anxiety in this country? I don’t care what anyone says. We have to deal with this pandemic. “
Ten Republican senators, led by Susan Collins of Maine, proposed a $ 600 billion commitment plan and wrote to the president this weekend asking for a meeting.
“We want to work in good faith with you and your management to address the health, economic and social challenges of the Covid crisis,” wrote lawmakers.
While Biden’s plan provided for $ 1,400 stimulus checks for individuals earning less than $ 75,000 and couples earning less than $ 150,000, Republican Party lawmakers are looking for more targeted limits, of $ 50,000 for individuals and $ 100,000 for couples, according to The Washington Post. Checks would also be just $ 1,000 under the Republican plan, lawmakers told the Post.
Sanders, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, cited starving children and people losing their homes amid the rampant job loss caused by the pandemic. He predicted that Republicans and Democrats will work together “at a peak” on issues like prescription drug prices and infrastructure, but on the coronavirus, he said, “we have to act and we have to act now”.
“If Republicans want to work with us, if they have better ideas on how to deal with these crises, this is great,” he said. “But to be honest with you, I haven’t heard that yet.”
Most Democrats have asked for significant help from state and local governments and at least $ 1,400 or $ 2,000 stimulus checks. Several prominent Democrats, including MPs Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, recently requested monthly checks for $ 2,000 during the pandemic. Its momentum is similar to a bill from Sens last May. Ed Markey, Sanders and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Democrats would normally need the support of 10 Republicans to pass a comprehensive package, but they could force much of the president’s plan through budgetary reconciliation – a move that links the COVID-19 bill to the annual budgetary process, which requires only simple majority. In the case of a 50-50 tie, Harris could cast the casting vote in the role of the vice president as president of the Senate.
Biden’s “bailout” plan includes more than $ 400 billion to cover $ 1,400 stimulus checks for millions of Americans; $ 400 billion for vaccines and school reopening; $ 35 billion to help local governments drive small businesses; and increased supplemental unemployment insurance, from $ 300 to $ 400. Biden also called on the federal government to set a minimum wage of $ 15, which Republicans continue to report as a job killer.
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