President Biden is open to compromising the structure of stimulus checks in his proposed $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, but he is adamant that they will leave.
Biden told House Democrats on Wednesday that he is open to modifying adjusted gross income limits for an additional round of direct payments – but he is holding on to $ 1,400 checks, according to the Politico.
“We can better target the number, I’m fine with that,” Biden said in the call, according to the publication. “I will not start by breaking a promise to the American people.”
In a $ 600 billion counterproposal, Republicans offered up to $ 1,000 in payments targeted at low-income families.
But progressive Democrats have already criticized the $ 1,400 payments – claiming that the Americans had promised $ 2,000. However, including the $ 600 checks approved in December, an additional $ 1,400 would make families eligible for $ 2,000.
Refining the eligibility criteria would be a compromise, since conservatives, like Senator Joe Manchin, W. Va., Are suspicious of the overall package price.
Manchin is a critical vote on whether Democrats intend to carry the package forward through the reconciliation process, given the equally divided balance of party power in the House, or through bipartisan negotiations.
Directing payments would mean, however, that some individuals who received the $ 600 checks would not receive additional money.
A White House spokesman did not return Fox News’s request for comment, but White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated during a news conference on Wednesday that the president was discussing the recipients’ income levels. of checks.
MANCHIN’S ERRORS ON $ 1.9T RELIEF PLAN INCLUDE $ 15 MINIMUM WAGE, $ 350B STATE AND LOCAL HELP
As previously reported by FOX Business, Biden said publicly that he was open to negotiating the terms of the stimulus checks as stipulated in his $ 1.9 trillion package.
“For example, you know that I proposed that we – because we were bipartisan, thought it would increase the chances of approval – the additional $ 1,400 in direct cash payments to people,” said Biden late last month. “Well, there is a legitimate reason for people to say, ‘Did you draw the lines exactly the right way? Should I go to someone who makes more than X dollars or why? ‘ I am open to negotiating these things. “
Biden added that he chose the terms because he considered them “rational and reasonable”, while adding that he was still “a moving target”.
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Biden met with a group of moderate Republicans at the White House on Monday to discuss the terms of an additional aid package.
Although Republicans said they were encouraged by the discussions, the White House said after the meeting that Biden was not prepared to commit to a package that “does not live up to the moment”.