Washington – Some Republican senators have expressed concern about the $ 1.9 trillion price in President Biden’s proposal for new coronavirus relief bill, as Democratic congressmen consider following a procedure to pass legislation without a Republican vote.
Congress passed a $ 900 billion relief bill at the end of last month, but Biden and Congressional Democrats argued that more action is needed to stabilize the economy. Republicans noted that not all of the funds provided by this act were distributed.
“The government submitted a $ 1.9 trillion proposal, weeks after we approved $ 900 billion that have not yet been counted,” Sen. Rob Portman told reporters on Tuesday. He argued that some provisions of Biden’s bill, such as raising the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour and providing funds for cyber security, were unrelated to the pandemic.
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Democrats have the narrowest possible majority in the House, with 50 seats, and Vice President Kamala Harris voting to break the tie. Most legislation requires 60 votes to end the debate and establish a full vote in the Senate floor. This means that Democrats will need to enlist the support of 10 Republicans, unless they choose to use a method of passing legislation known as budget reconciliation, which requires only a simple majority of votes.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that he told Democrats that they should be prepared to vote on a budget resolution as early as next week, which would be the first step in starting the budgetary reconciliation process.
“Our caucus is united in the sense that we need big, bold changes,” Schumer told reporters. However, he said “we are always hopeful that [Republicans will] see the light, “and noted that Republicans could vote in favor of the proposal even if they move forward with budgetary reconciliation.
Senator Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said the Democrats were already working on drafting legislation for budget reconciliation.
“We are working on it now,” said Sanders. “I think there is a consensus. If the Republicans are not prepared to join the council, that’s fine. We will not wait. We will move forward and aggressively.”
Republican Senator Todd Young told reporters on Monday that he does not believe there will be a bipartisan COVID deal, unless “there is a significant move by the government”. Biden promised to work with Republicans and Portman said on Tuesday that it would be a “big mistake” for Democrats to use budgetary reconciliation instead of trying to negotiate with Republicans to draft bipartisan legislation.
“I think it will really be up to the White House and the Democrats to decide whether they want to work with a bipartisan team to improve legislation or whether they want to carry out a reconciliation, a project that came with only one party participating,” Republican Senator Mitt Romney said to reporters on Tuesday.
AN bipartisan group of 16 senators spoke with Biden government officials on Sunday to discuss coronavirus legislation. The one-hour, 15-minute call was made by Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
Although some participants considered the meeting “productive” and a good first step, Republican Senator Susan Collins, who attended the meeting, considered it “premature” to discuss legislative action of this size and scope. She said she would be suggesting a more “targeted” package, especially with a focus on vaccine distribution.
Collins said he received more information about the White House proposal on Monday, but still needed more details.
“The administration is sending and has already sent us some data to give us more details about the specifics of its package. We just received it and we are starting to pass it on. So, it is a good step, but there is still no answer to the question of money that has not yet been allocated, “Collins told reporters on Tuesday.
Democrats have not yet ruled out using budgetary reconciliation to approve coronavirus relief. Lawmakers “need to do this,” Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Tuesday.
“I am not going to allow America’s unemployed, at a time when the numbers are skyrocketing, to be pushed off an economic cliff,” Democratic Senator Ron Wyden told reporters on Monday.
Jack Turman contributed reporting.