President Biden’s government officials on Sunday made a call with a bipartisan group of senators to discuss the $ 1.9 trillion White House proposed COVID-19 aid package.
Several senators confirmed their participation in the summons, with some Democratic senators describing the conversation as “productive”.
Majority whip in the Senate Dick Durbin
Fallout from the Dick Durbin uprising: The PATRIOT Act 2.0? Sunday program preview: All eyes on the Biden administration to fight the coronavirus CDC overnight medical assistance changes the orientation of the COVID-19 vaccine to allow the rare mix of Pfizer and Moderna injections | Senate chaos threatens to slow Biden’s agenda MORE (D-Ill.) He classified the discussion as “refreshing” and said it was “too late” for the White House “to be fully involved in addressing this pandemic with a focus on science and federal leadership”.
“In the spirit of unity that we saw on the West Front of the Capitol on Wednesday, the Senate must meet on a bipartisan basis and provide the resources that the American people need to survive this pandemic and these long financial difficulties,” he said. he.
Sen. Angus King
Angus KingThe next pandemic could be cybernetic – How the Biden administration can stop it Senate bipartisan gang will talk to Biden’s coronavirus relief adviser Angus King warns of Trump’s ‘grave danger’ of revealing classified information MORE (I-Maine) said in a tweet that the call focused on “policy solutions”, adding that it was “remarkable in itself”.
“We will continue to work together to accelerate the distribution of vaccines and support Americans during this pandemic,” he posted.
Brian Deese
Brian DeeseThe Memorandum: Biden bets he can do anything The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Next steps in Trump’s impeachment The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden’s crisis agenda hits headwinds MORE, the Director of the National Economic Council, hosted Zoom’s private conference call to which 16 senators, eight from each party, were invited to attend, according to reports from CNN and The Washington Post.
The senators who participated in the call reportedly requested that relief be targeted at those who need it most and asked that the distribution of vaccines be the top priority.
Upper house lawmakers probed White House officials during the call, which lasted more than an hour, about where the stimulus money is essential, what is the justification for some high spending and whether the proposed $ 1,400 direct checks could be adapted more to the needy, several people involved told the Post and CNN.
Louisa TerrellLouisa TerrellMORE, the White House’s director of legislative affairs, and Jeff Zients
Jeff ZientsDistracted vaccine distribution presents initial test for Biden Biden under pressure to administer more COVID-19 injections Fauci: We are not ‘starting from scratch’ in vaccine delivery MORE, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, also joined the call allegedly organized by Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Biden EPA asks Justice Department to stop defending Trump era rules | Company calls for rejection of pebble mine | Choice of Granholm energy will be heard on Wednesday Appointment hearing for the selection of Biden Energy Granholm scheduled for Wednesday. (DW.Va.).
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
Before the summons, Deese told reporters that he wanted to emphasize to the senators that “we are in a precarious moment for the virus and the economy”, remembering that “decisive action” is needed to avoid “falling into a serious economic hole,” with the Post.
The $ 1.9 trillion plan also includes an extension of emergency unemployment benefits after mid-March and an increase in the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, in addition to direct checks.
Several Republicans criticized the Biden government’s plan as too expensive, with Republican Party senators expressing concern about raising the minimum wage on the call, two known people told the Post.
“There are still many unanswered questions, mainly, how the government raised the necessary $ 1.9 trillion dollars, given that our figures show that there is still about $ 1.8 trillion to spend,” senator. Susan Collins
Susan Margaret CollinsThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden’s crisis agenda hits headwinds Republican senators say only a few Republicans will vote to condemn Trump To Biden, a Senate trial could help bipartisanship around the relief of COVID MORE (R-Maine) told the Post. “We hope to get more data documenting their need.”
Several Republicans have suggested that Biden and the Democrats may be more fortunate to pass individual parts of the relief bill than the comprehensive package.
“The president wants to extend unemployment insurance if people are still unemployed, this is something we would certainly look at. Last time, we saw that states needed help, some bailout for states and locations that may have suffered a reduction in their revenues. This is appropriate, but the total number is very shocking, if you want, ” Sen. Mitt Romney
Willard (Mitt) Mitt RomneySunday shows the preview: All eyes on the Biden administration to fight the coronavirus The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden’s crisis agenda hits headwinds Republican Party senators say that only a few Republicans will vote to condemn Trump MORE (R-Utah) said Sunday morning.
But one person on the call told CNN that the White House is still looking to move forward with the $ 1.9 trillion package, rather than dividing parts of it into smaller bills.
“President Biden and his advisers will continue to engage and consult with bipartisan groups of lawmakers, including today, to justify why urgent action is needed to bring aid to affected communities and families and more resources to public health officials so that we can speed up vaccines. “a White House official told the network.