Senate Republicans are expressing their frustration at what they see as a high probability of negotiating a bipartisan relief bill COVID-19 with President Biden, blaming his team for being on the way.
Republican senators who met Biden at the White House on Monday told colleagues after the meeting that the White House chief of staff Ron Klain
Ron KlainBiden announces task force on reunification of migrant families next week The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Which way will Democrats follow the COVID-19 bill? Biden’s immigration plans face initial hurdles MORE he was standing at the back of the room, shaking his head “no” during the meeting.
“There is certainly a mixed signal from him about the unity message,” said the senator. Kevin cramer
Kevin John CramerLittle known as a Senate referee for playing an important role in Biden’s relief plan The OMB nominee will be heard on 9 February. Trump’s censorship faces tough adversities in the Senate MORE (RN.D.), who was briefed on the White House meeting by colleagues.
Cramer said that Biden was “very engaged and well prepared” for the meeting “but I also heard that his chief of staff was at the back of the room and shook his head ‘no’ at all points”.
“That’s what we were told,” he added.
Senior government officials said Republican Party senators should be more focused on passing relief laws than on pointing the finger at White House advisers for not agreeing to an underfunded proposal.
And a White House official resisted the complaints.
“The Republicans attended the meeting in good faith, but it seems they would rather play the blame game than have a substantive conversation about this bill,” said the official.
“Republicans were good with $ 160 billion for state and local funding when Donald Trump
Donald TrumpChamber of Commerce is coming out: reports that Fox News Media cancels Lou Dobbs show. Republican Party lawmakers are calling for Pelosi to be fined for new exhibitions. MORE he was president, and that number is now zero ”, said the government official, referring to the proposal of the group of 10 senators.
“If they want to have a serious talk about an aid package that brings help to people in need, let’s start with how much of the local funding they were willing to give to Donald Trump,” said the source.
Republicans who sat with Biden for more than two hours thought they had made good progress and were surprised when the White House press secretary Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Senate Dems haggles over 0.9 trillion details of relief COVID The CDC says schools are safe, but Biden continues to ignore science, doctors. immediately issued a statement controlling the GOP’s expectations of an agreement.
Psaki said that Biden “reiterated his view that Congress should respond with boldness and urgency and noted many areas that the Republican senators’ proposal does not address.”
She said the president “made it clear” that his $ 1.9 trillion plan “was designed to meet the stakes of the moment and any changes to it cannot leave the nation short of its urgent needs” and emphasized that the approval of a relief bill under special budget rules to avoid obstruction “is a way to achieve that end.”
The statement sounded like a dissenting note with Republican senators.
“At lunch, we had the opportunity to chat with the members who were at the meeting, hoping to find a bipartisan path to follow. Our members who were at the meeting felt that the president seemed to be more interested in this than his team, ”said the Senate minority leader. Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellThe Memo: Bad Jobs Report Boosts Biden’s Stimulus Case NIGHT ENERGY: The DOJ will allow companies to pay for environmental projects again to reduce fines | House Democrats reintroduce green energy tax package to Marjorie Taylor Greene, a glimpse into the future MORE (R-Ky.) He told reporters after being informed.
Biden on Friday, just a few days after promising to exchange memos and data with Republican senators on building a bipartisan relief agreement, announced that he is ready to move forward on a COVID-19 relief bill without the support of republicans if they are not willing to go higher.
“I will act quickly,” he said. “I would like to do that with the support of Republicans. I met with Republicans. There are some really great people who want to do something, but they are just not willing to go as far as I think we have to go. “
Republican Party senators proposed a $ 618 billion aid package to Biden on Monday, which capped direct payments to individuals at $ 1,000 – as opposed to Biden’s preferred $ 1,400 – and did not include direct financing. for state and local governments without money. Biden’s plan provides for $ 350 billion in state and local aid.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
Shelley Wellons Moore CapitoSenate signals broad support for more targeted relief checks against the coronavirus Bipartisan group of senators calls for more targeted relief checks ENERGY OF THE NIGHT: Senate Committee moves nomination of Granholm to lead Energia | EPA nominee Regan promises ‘urgency’ on climate change at confirmation hearing | Omar asks Biden to block the pipeline being built in Minnesota MORE (RW.Va.), who was in the room with Biden on Monday, said he was “a little” surprised by the statement from the White House team because “I think the president should set the tone.”
She thought Biden was interested in a deal, but lowered her expectations after White House advisers downplayed expectations after the meeting.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann MurkowskiBiden needs to take her own advice: Commit yourself The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Democrats map the way to approve Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan. (R-Alaska), who was also at the meeting with Biden, said it is not uncommon for directors and team members to have conflicting goals in Washington. She noted that Psaki was not in the room for the president’s meeting with Republican lawmakers.
“I think the team has their opinions and I think we saw the president express his opinions,” she said. “This is not uncommon here. We see that. “
Murkowski said that the main negotiators often meet face to face so that their teams can be informed about how to move the negotiations forward, but sometimes the message does not reach the team level.
“It was the president’s first meeting in the Oval Office, the first meeting with a group of senators. Maybe they’re all still trying to figure out who’s doing what and who’s running there, ”she added.
In addition to the White House team, the overwhelming majority of Democrats on Capitol Hill are eager to pass Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion full proposal as soon as possible in Congress.
“We are not going to make the mistake of 2009 and have a very small package that took a long time and took four or five years for the economy to recover,” said the Senate majority leader. Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerOver 60 progressive groups urge Schumer to obstructionist nix Booker reintroduces bill to give all newborns, 000 savings accounts Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Blumenauer intend to demand that Biden declare a climate emergency MORE (DN.Y.) told reporters this week.
Schumer kept the Senate working until Thursday night and until 5:30 am on Friday to pass a budget resolution by a party vote, laying the groundwork for moving a COVID-19 relief package under special budget rules to avoid an obstruction the next month.
This would allow Democrats to approve a large aid package without any Republican support, although White House advisers and Democratic leaders say they will still hear the opinion of Republican senators who are welcome to participate in the negotiations.
Psaki, at a press conference last week, said Republicans would have a chance to “get involved and see their ideas adopted.”
“At any point in the process, a bipartisan bill can be approved. Therefore, just creating the option of reconciling with a budget resolution does not exclude other legislative options, ”she said. “This is my moment” when a project becomes a law “for today’s briefing.”
Psaki said Republican ideas could be adopted during the negotiations in the coming weeks, while Democratic lawmakers design the package to go through reconciliation.
Democrats note that several Democratic senators voted for Bush’s tax cuts, which the majority of the Republican Party in the Senate passed in 2001 and 2003 with less than 60 votes in the budget reconciliation process.
Three Democrats voted to approve George W. Bush’s 2003 tax cut package – Sens. Evan Bayh (Indiana), Zell Miller (Georgia) and Ben Nelson (Nebraska) – under budget reconciliation, while 12 Democrats voted to cut Bush’s tax cut in 2001, which Republicans also approved using budget reconciliation.
Of the Democrats who supported Bush’s $ 1.35 trillion tax cut in 2001, only Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Emiel FeinsteinUnemployment fraud reports rise as states submit tax forms Harris gives first tiebreaker votes as Vice President Bush – Obama-era officials ask the Senate to quickly confirm Biden’s DHS choice MORE (California) is still in the Senate.
Psaki said this week that Republicans would have the ability to offer amendments during the budget resolution debate, which took place on Thursday evening and early Friday, as well as during the later stages of the process.
Senate Republicans managed to add some amendments to the budget resolution.
But Democrats later withdrew three of them – one preventing checks from going to undocumented immigrants, a second expressing support for hydraulic fracturing and a third expressing support for the Keystone XL pipeline – in a final replacement amendment that was approved by strict party lines.