Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during the confirmation hearing of the nominee for Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee at the Capitol on January 27, 2021 in Washington, DC.
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Senator Bernie Sanders said on Sunday that he opposes cutting the income limit for receiving $ 1,400 in direct payments in the next coronavirus aid project, underlining a divide that Democrats need to address before approving the $ 1 package. 1.9 trillion.
The most conservative member of the caucus in Senator Joe Manchin, DW.V., raised concerns that stimulus checks, as currently sought, would go to many high-income people who did not lose their jobs during the pandemic. President Joe Biden said he is open to negotiating eligibility for payments, which, as proposed, would go in full for individuals who earn up to $ 75,000 and couples who earn up to $ 150,000.
Sanders, an independent from Vermont and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and some colleagues argued that Democrats should not lower the income ceiling. Eligibility for checks emerged as the main obstacle within the party, as it tries to pass a bailout package without Republican votes in the Senate.
A single defection would sink the bill.
Sanders told CNN that he supports a “strong abyss” for payments “so that it doesn’t spill out on people who earn $ 300,000 a year.” As modeled now, the plan would eliminate checks by 5% of every dollar a person earns over the limit to receive the full amount.
“And that’s what I support, that’s what I think most people understand,” said Sanders of phasing out payments more quickly. “But to tell a worker in Vermont or California or anywhere else, that if you’re making, you know, $ 52,000 a year, you’re too rich to get that help, the full benefit, I think that’s absurd.”
Reports suggested that Democrats could start eliminating deposits of $ 50,000 in income for individuals, instead of $ 75,000.
In his role on the committee, Sanders will play a key role in shaping the project and ensuring that it complies with the budget reconciliation process. The tool will allow Democrats to pass on their own in a 50-50 Senate division. Vice President Kamala Harris will hold the tiebreak vote.
Democrats will begin drafting humanitarian aid legislation this week and hope to pass it before March 14, when the main unemployment programs that drive millions of Americans will expire. Along with payments, the bill is expected to include an unemployment benefit of $ 400 a week through September, $ 20 billion for a Covid-19 vaccination program, $ 350 billion in support from the state and local government and $ 30 billion for rent and assistance to public services.
Biden said he is open to changing eligibility for payments. He emphasized on Friday that “I am not reducing the size of checks”.
Appearing on CNN before Sanders, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen signaled that she was reluctant to lower the revenue cap to receive a total payment from $ 1,400 to $ 50,000.
“If you think of an elementary school teacher or police officer who earns $ 60,000 a year and comes across children who are out of school and people who may have been taken out of the workforce to take care of them … [Biden] thinks, and I would certainly agree, that it is appropriate for people there to get support, “she said on Sunday.
As part of a flurry of votes before passing a budget resolution on Friday to shape the reconciliation process, the Senate overwhelmingly supported an amendment to prevent high-income taxpayers from receiving stimulus checks. However, the symbolic measure did not define who are those who earn a lot.
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