Congressman Tom Reed, R-NY, discusses the need for Democrats and Republicans to ‘work together’ to agree an economic relief plan.
President Biden said on Tuesday that he supported a proposal by House Democrats to send $ 1,400 stimulus checks to Americans who earn up to $ 75,000 annually, rejecting an impulse from the centrist wing of the party to drastically reduce eligibility.
Asked if he supports the stimulus verification parameters presented by the House Forms and Resources Committee on Monday, Biden said “yes”, according to a report by the pool.
According to the bill introduced by House Democrats on Monday, Americans who earn $ 75,000 or less (and couples who earn $ 150,000 or less) will be paid the fully promised $ 1,400. But checks would be eliminated more quickly than previous rounds, eliminating individuals who earn more than $ 100,000 and couples who earn more than $ 200,000.
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Biden’s comments came after an Oval Office meeting with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Vice President Kamala Harris and some of the country’s top CEOs, including Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Doug McMillon of Walmart, Sonia Syngal of Gap, Lowe’s Marvin Ellison and Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue, during which they discussed the nearly $ 2 trillion coronavirus relief package, infrastructure and pressure for a $ 15 hourly minimum wage.
“The American people are hurt,” Biden told reporters. “Many people are in trouble. Many people go to bed at night, wondering if they will keep their mortgage payments up to date, if they have health insurance. We have millions of unemployed people.”
Congressional Democrats are moving forward with the approval of the massive $ 2 trillion spending measure using a procedural tool known as budgetary reconciliation, which will allow them to pass the bill without any Republican adherence.
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But last week, the eligibility of the stimulus check emerged as an important point of contention between the different ideological factions of the Democratic Party. The party cannot lose support even from a single Democrat in the Senate, as it needs all 50 members to approve the measure using a procedural tool known as budgetary reconciliation.
Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., has repeatedly argued that payments need to be better targeted and reportedly called for checks to be eliminated for individuals earning more than $ 50,000.
“I don’t think a single person on this floor would disagree with directing relief to our struggling neighbors,” said Manchin in the Senate floor last week. “There are other families that have not lost a single salary as a result of this pandemic. It makes no sense to send a check to these people ”.
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Still, he indicated on Monday that he was open to the House Democrats’ plan, saying that he and other centrists are trying to ensure that payments go to the “really needy.”
The Chamber’s Ways and Means Committee is set to debate its part in the huge reconciliation project on Wednesday and runs until Friday. Lawmakers hope to approve stimulus checks, part of a broader $ 1.9 trillion aid package, by March 14, when supplemental unemployment benefits are about to end for millions of Americans.
“While we still hope Republicans will join us to do what is right for the American people, the urgency of the moment requires us to act without further delay,” said Representative Richard Neal, chairman of the Forms and Means Committee, in a statement .