Washington – The group of 10 Republican senators seeking to negotiate with President Biden in a new round of relief from COVID-19 revealed details of his proposal on Monday, hours before lawmakers. set to find with the president at the White House.
The group’s proposal, led by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, totals about $ 618 billion, or about a third of the $ 1.9 trillion plan presented by the president and Democratic leaders in Congress. The group’s counter offer comes as Congressional Democrats are preparing to move forward with the government’s proposed plan, with or without the support of the Republican Party.
“Mr. President, we recognize your calls for unity and we want to work in good faith with your government to address the health, economic and social challenges of the COVID crisis,” said the senators in a joint statement. “We look forward to discussing our proposal in detail with you this afternoon at the White House.”
The GOP plan provides for another round of direct payments to taxpayers, but it would limit the income level of those who are eligible to receive them at a lower level than previous aid rounds. Individuals earning less than $ 40,000 would receive $ 1,000, with the amount decreasing for those earning between $ 40,000 and $ 50,000.
Couples filing the suit together would receive double that amount, with the amount gradually decreasing for those earning more than $ 80,000, up to $ 100,000. An additional $ 500 would be provided for each child and dependent adult. Previous rounds of direct payments were based on the revenue reported in the 2019 tax returns. The Biden plan requires checks of $ 1,400 for most low- and middle-income people.
The proposal would also extend federal unemployment insurance expanded to $ 300 a week until June 30, in addition to state benefits. Biden asked for an extension of $ 400 a week unemployment benefit until September.
The plan includes $ 160 billion for a national vaccine program, production of personal protective equipment and expanded testing, as well as a $ 40 billion injection into the Paycheck Protection Program to provide loans to small businesses. It would also allocate $ 20 billion in an initiative to get children back to school and extend the benefits of SNAP until September at a cost of $ 3 billion.
The Republican Party’s proposal does not include any funds allocated to state and local governments, and does not mention raising the federal minimum wage, both of the top priorities in the government package.
Senators who signed the proposal include Collins, Rob Portman of Ohio, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Shelley Moore Captain of West Virginia, Todd Young of Indiana, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Mike Rounds of Dakota South and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
Biden plans to meet with the group on Monday to discuss his government’s proposal and plan. The White House said the president was open to a “total exchange of ideas”.
Ed O’Keefe contributed reporting.