President Joe Biden endorsed on Tuesday the House’s Democratic proposal to give $ 1,400 in direct payments to everyone who earns $ 75,000 or less and couples who earn $ 150,000 or less in the coronavirus stimulus project now underway in the Congress.
Biden simply said “Yes” and gave no further details when asked whether he agreed with the proposal, according to reports from the White House pool.
And White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said later that Biden “supports that where the status of the negotiations is at this point. Yes, the $ 75,000. “
Even so, Psaki said that negotiations continued on the scale of payments and where they would be stopped.
“These negotiations are underway,” she said. “We certainly support discussions as they happen and, certainly, he is open to discussion about how to make them more targeted and ensure that the people who need the most help get the help.”
House committees this week are drafting sections of the stimulus bill under their jurisdiction, while Democratic congressmen make plans to pass $ 1.9 trillion legislation through a process known as reconciliation, which prevents an obstruction. and allows them to promote the project without Republican support.
The House Forms and Resources Committee on Wednesday will begin drafting its section of the coronavirus bill, including stimulus payments of $ 1,400 and an extension of temporary federal unemployment insurance benefits until August 29 and increases the extra weekly federal payment from $ 300 to $ 400.
The proposal would also cut all stimulus payments for individuals who earn more than $ 100,000 or couples who earn more than $ 200,000.
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New Jersey and its counties would receive $ 9.4 billion in federal aid according to a formula proposed on Tuesday by the House Oversight Committee. The state would receive $ 6.5 billion and localities $ 2.9 billion from a $ 350 billion pot.
That assistance has been one of the top Democratic priorities and the Republican refusal to provide any assistance has delayed the approval of a stimulus bill for months at the last Congress.
The committee will vote on Friday to approve aid to states and localities “that strive to provide essential services to families in distress and save the jobs of key civil servants such as teachers, firefighters and other first responders during the coronavirus pandemic” , according to President Carolyn Maloney, DN.Y.
Although Republican-managed Texas received $ 27.2 billion, second only to California, and Florida received $ 16.4 billion, the fourth largest total, the Republican highest ranking on the Oversight Committee, Congressman James Comer, of Kentucky, ridiculed what he called a “plan to rescue blocked and poorly managed liberal states.”
Another committee, Transport and Infrastructure, will meet on Wednesday to draft its section of the legislation, which includes $ 26.1 billion in funds for transit agencies in large metropolitan areas.
Based on previous allocations, NJ Transit could come close to $ 2 billion. There is also an additional $ 2.2 billion for transit to be allocated to agencies in greatest need. And there is $ 1.25 billion for specific grant programs, including New Starts, which will partially finance the construction of the new Portal bridge over the Hackensack River.
Amtrak would receive $ 1.5 billion, which would allow the passenger railroad to restore daily long-distance service and recall its dismissed employees and pay them by September 30. The airports and their concessionaires would receive US $ 8 billion.
Also in the proposal is $ 50 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse state, local, tribal and territorial governments for COVID-19 expenses, such as deployment of the National Guard, provision of personal protective equipment and vaccination efforts. .
The Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist., Will draft provisions to accelerate the distribution of vaccines and increase testing on Thursday.
“As new variants of the virus emerge, it is vital that Congress act quickly to provide relief to the American people and the resources and support needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Pallone.
The panel’s top Republican, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, asked Pallone to “pause the party race toward a reconciliation package for a week and begin serious, bipartisan negotiations on further relief from COVID” with the Party minority. Republican.
The Republican-controlled committee used the same parliamentary procedure to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017, and McMorris Rodgers was a member of the House’s Republican leadership when the majority of the Republican Party used reconciliation to approve the 2017 tax cut that the Office Congressional Budget Committee said it would increase the deficit by $ 1.9 trillion in 10 years.
Pallone declined to comment on McMorris Rodgers’ request.
On the Senate side, while lawmakers act as jurors in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, committees are drafting sections of the stimulus bill. New Jersey Senate President Robert Menendez of New Jersey said on Tuesday that his panel would add $ 10 billion in foreign aid to legislation to help combat coronavirus and variants in other countries before migrating to the U.S.
“As long as COVID-19 is anywhere, it can spread everywhere, directly threatening national security, our economy and the health and safety of the American people,” Menendez said at a news conference with the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, DN. Y., and several committee chairs.
“We understand the sense of urgency here. COVID-19 knows no boundaries. The more we allow the virus to spread, the more it becomes new strains; and the more it becomes new strains, the greater the threat to the effectiveness of our vaccines and the ability to rebuild our economy and restore our way of life. “
Jonathan D. Salant can be contacted at [email protected].
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