A group of 10 Republicans launched an effort to try to force President Joe Biden to negotiate a little about his planned $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package. Senators are calling for a meeting with Biden to negotiate the measure, while Democratic leaders are preparing to lay the groundwork so that they can approve the package with only Democratic votes. In a letter to Biden, the senators, led by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, say they are presenting the plan “in the spirit of bipartisanship and unity” that the president asked for.
Although the package will be unveiled on Monday, one of the Republican Party senators said that what they are presenting is a proposal that would be less than a third the size of the package Biden wanted. Republicans said Biden’s project involves a lot of money, considering that Congress has already committed $ 4 trillion to fight the pandemic, including $ 900 billion in December.
The action of Republican senators involves an effort to prevent Democrats from pursuing what is known as budgetary reconciliation. The procedural tactic would allow Democrats to pass the bill without negotiating with Republicans, because they would need only a simple majority in the Senate. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who is one of the Republicans who signed the letter, said that pursuing this tactic “would put President Biden on a path of partisanship that will poison the well.”
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who also signed the letter, said Fox News Sunday that the proposed package would total about $ 600 billion. “We are focused on the needs of the American people, treating our tax dollars as if they were our tax dollars, not just spending money,” said Cassidy.
The proposal that the 10 Republicans are putting forward would include $ 160 billion for vaccine development and distribution, as well as testing, screening and other supplies. It also requires direct payments targeted at “families most in need of assistance” and an extension of federal unemployment benefits. “We have developed a COVID-19 relief framework that is based on previous COVID assistance laws, all passed with bipartisan support,” the senators wrote to Biden. “We request the opportunity to meet to discuss our proposal in greater detail and how we can work together to address the needs of the American people during this persistent pandemic.” In addition to Collins, Cassidy and Portman, the letter was also signed by Sens. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Mitt Romney from Utah, Shelley Moore Captain from West Virginia, Todd Young from Indiana, Jerry Moran from Kansas, Thom Tillis from North Carolina and Mike Rounds from South Dakota.
For the time being, the letter does not appear to have convinced many Democrats to change their plans. And while the Biden government has said it is willing to talk, officials have also made it clear that speed is key. “We are certainly open to contributions from wherever we can find a constructive idea to make this package as effective as possible, but the president is adamant about the speed with which we need to act to address this crisis,” Brian Deese, the director of the White House National Economic Council, he told CNN. Jared Bernstein, a leading economic adviser, said Biden “is absolutely willing to negotiate”, but he also made it clear that any negotiation would have to be quick and Americans don’t care much about how it will happen, as long as they get the help they need . “Look, the American people really don’t give a damn about the budget process, be it regular order, bipartisanship, obstruction, reconciliation,” said Bernstein. Fox News Sunday. People “need help and they need it now”.
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