The Guardian
Biden More Likely to Ignore Republicans in Covid’s Stimulus Aid After Low Offer
Ten Republican senators came up with a $ 600 billion plan – less than a third of the $ 1.9 trillion package that Biden’s team presented. Joe Biden made working with Republicans a declared priority of his initial presidency. Photo: Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images Republican senators made a low offer on Sunday to cooperate with the Biden government in a new coronavirus aid package, increasing the likelihood that the White House will try to circumvent Republicans to finance its proposal. A group of 10 Republican senators led by Susan Collins of Maine presented Joe Biden with an outline of a $ 600 billion total aid plan – less than a third of the $ 1.9 trillion stimulus package that Biden’s team has established in the past few days. The huge gap between the two numbers has caused some observers to question whether Republicans were really trying to reach an agreement – or, instead, were laying the groundwork for future accusations that Biden hadn’t taken his promises to try to work seriously with republicans. Asked about the new Republican offer on NBC News’s Meet the Press program, National Economic Council director Brian Deese said Biden was “open to ideas” but would not be paralyzed. “What he is uncompromising about is the need to move quickly on a comprehensive approach here,” said Deese. “We have a virus crisis; we have an economic crisis. We need to get shot in people’s arms. We have to reopen schools so that parents can get back to work. And we need to provide direct help to families and businesses across the country that are really struggling here. “A signatory to the Republican offer, Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who announced his retirement soon, told CNN that the $ 1.9 trillion price was too high” at a time of unprecedented deficits and debt. ” But moderate Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana said the twin pandemic crises and record unemployment call for decisive action. “I don’t think $ 1.9 trillion, although it is a boat full of money, is a lot of money,” Tester told CNN. “I think now is not the time to starve the economy.” The United States has just passed 26 million confirmed cases of Covid and 440,000 deaths. Unemployment insurance claims reached 1 million last week and 30 million Americans reported suffering from food shortages. Hoping for a break with the constant partisanship of Donald Trump’s years, Biden made working with Republicans a declared priority of his initial presidency. But his advisers also signaled that speed is important and that they will use a parliamentary measure known as budgetary reconciliation to fund their Covid relief bill, if no Republicans participate. With a 50-member majority in the United States Senate won by the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats can advance the aid package on their own – if they are able to strike a deal that does not lose centrists like West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin . “This is a unique crisis,” Deese told CNN. “It is a unique health crisis, a unique economic crisis, and it is a crisis that requires all of us to work together at the speed we need to implement a comprehensive response.” The Biden plan provides for payments of $ 1,400 to individuals, increased unemployment benefits, a minimum wage of $ 15, support for schools to help them reopen safely and money for vaccine distribution and administration. Republicans pointed out that Congress has already allocated $ 4 trillion for coronavirus relief last year and that part of the $ 900 billion allocated last month has not been spent. Portman said the proposed $ 1,400 payments to individuals on the Biden plan should be restricted based on income. Manchin repeated that proposal, saying that families earning between $ 250,000 and $ 300,000 should not necessarily qualify. The importance of keeping Manchin on board was underscored when the senator reacted negatively to a surprise appearance by Harris on a local West Virginia television station calling for support for further Covid relief legislation. The move was received as a strange effort to pressure Manchin. “I saw it, I couldn’t believe it,” said Manchin in a local news video. “Nobody called me. We will try to find a bipartisan way forward, but we need to work together. This is not a way of working together. ”In a letter to Biden describing his offer, the more moderate Republicans cited his call in his inaugural speech to the bipartisan unit and said” we appreciate the opportunity to work with you “. “We believe that this plan could be quickly approved by Congress with bipartisan support,” said the letter. The Republican proposal reflected some provisions of the Biden plan, such as $ 160 billion in new spending on vaccines, testing, treatment and personal protective equipment. Republicans said they would provide more details on Monday. But Democrats did not seem willing to wait long to hear the Republican speech. Senator Bernie Sanders, the next chairman of the budget committee, told ABC News’ This Week program: “We have to act and we have to act now.”