The White House has sought out executives in various sectors to enlist support for the Biden administration’s $ 1.9 trillion Covid-19 aid plan, according to people familiar with the matter.
Last week, government officials made at least two calls to leaders in various business sectors, including Wall Street and technology, said these people, who declined to be identified to speak freely.
Brian Deese, President Joe Biden’s chief economic advisor, participated in some calls, one person said. Most of the calls were anchored by the Office of Public Engagement, which is run by former deputy Cedric Richmond, someone else said.
According to a White House official, who declined to be identified, the government became involved with companies and groups, including:
- American Airlines
- US Chamber of Commerce
- The business roundtable
- Ernst & Young
- The National Association of Manufacturers
- General Motors
- The Black Economic Alliance
This comes a day after Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with several key CEOs in the Oval Office to discuss the aid plan. The government and Democrats in Congress plan to approve the measure by mid-March.
With these calls, Biden officials are looking to create a coalition to support the president’s aid plan, people familiar with the matter said. Most participants expressed support for much of Biden’s proposal, people said.
“They are making sure that everyone supports,” said a person familiar with evangelism. “Nothing is too big,” added this person, explaining the consensus view of business leaders.
The government is also consulting business leaders, along with lawmakers and other stakeholders, to find ways to improve the legislation, the White House official said.
Discussions focused on several aspects of the plan, including its overall price, direct payments of $ 1,400 to Americans and the prospect of raising the federal minimum wage, the official added. The government also sought feedback from executives on how they handled the pandemic.
Some of the leaders to whom the White House has committed itself are opposed to certain aspects of Biden’s plan.
US Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue, who met Biden on Tuesday, warned against raising the minimum wage to $ 15. The increase in the minimum wage is part of Covid de Biden’s aid plan. The chamber said it supports Biden’s general proposal to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Sixty-three percent of small business owners support Covid’s $ 1.9 trillion aid package, according to the latest CNBC quarterly survey | SurveyMonkey Small Business.
Biden himself began to meet with senior executives on the proposal and future policy plans.
Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Yellen met on Tuesday with JPMorgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon, Doug McMillon of Walmart, Sonia Syngal and Donohue of Gap.
The discussion began with a 15-minute speech by Biden, who highlighted the need to fight the virus while helping the economy. Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison, who also attended the meeting, spoke about the importance of jobs, while Dimon spoke about the need for policies that bring healthy economic growth.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress appear to be on track to approve the plan without the help of Republicans, who have called for a much smaller package.
Democrats in the House and Senate recently passed a budget resolution that could help approve relief without Republican support. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Said after the budget resolution was passed that Democrats in her chamber intend to approve her party’s proposal for relief in two weeks.
The resolution instructed committees to draft a set of coronavirus aid measures included in Biden’s proposal, such as $ 1,400 in direct payments, an increase of $ 400 a week in federal unemployment through September, $ 350 billion in state aid. , local and tribal, vaccine funds and Covid-19 tests and rent and mortgage assistance.
Still, some Democrats have expressed concern about targeting $ 1,400 checks. Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va, for example, said he was concerned that stimulus checks would reach many high-income people who may not necessarily need help.
Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Said there should be no income limit for anyone who can receive checks from the federal government.
Biden said he is open to negotiating eligibility for payments, which under the current proposal would go in full for individuals who earn up to $ 75,000 and couples who earn up to $ 150,000.