A group of 10 Republican senators sent a letter to President biden questioning the size of its $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal after meeting with the president earlier this week and receive more information from the White House on legislation. The letter providing feedback to the president comes at a time when Congress is moving ahead with the bill using a procedure that would allow the bill to pass without Republican votes.
“In the spirit of continuing to have an open and productive dialogue, we want to provide feedback on the documents we have received so far. We remain committed to working in a bipartisan manner and hope that it will take into account our points of view as the legislative process moves forward, “said the letter.
The group of 10 senators put forward a proposal for relief over the weekend that would cost about $ 600 billion, which is significantly less than Mr. Biden’s legislation. The Republican proposal reduced the income limit for Americans receiving direct checks and decreased the value of checks from $ 1,400 to $ 1,000. The Republican Party’s plan also does not include any assistance to state and local governments, a priority for Democrats.
These Republicans questioned the size of Biden’s proposal, as part of the money provided in previous relief legislation remains unspent. In the letter, they noted that a December CDC report showed that a smaller amount of funds would be needed to reopen schools than proposed by the Biden government.
“We have significant doubts, therefore, about the size and scope of what is proposed in the American Rescue Plan, given the amounts already appropriated by Congress and the more than $ 60 billion in emergency funds that remain unspent by states and districts. schools for K-12 schools, “said the letter. “Given the amount of funding already provided, the unspent appropriations and the CDC report, our proposal calls for an additional $ 20 billion to support face-to-face learning for students in our country.”
However, Republicans say they are “encouraged” by reports that the government is “considering directing more direct payments to low and middle-income families”.
“We want to help low- and middle-income families in need, as well as boost the economy; better targeting direct payments would achieve both objectives,” said the letter. “Thank you for your consideration of our analysis and views. We look forward to receiving additional details about your $ 1.9 trillion request and further discussion on how best to help the American people during this difficult period.”
Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, who is one of 10 Republican senators who met with Biden earlier this week, presented his own proposal on Thursday to provide direct payments to parents in order to reduce child poverty.
Although Biden met with Republicans, many Democratic congressmen say there is a great need for Americans to wait for bipartisan legislation. Congress is moving forward with budget reconciliation, a process that allows legislation to be passed by a simple majority vote in the Senate, rather than reaching the 60-vote limit required for most projects. Republicans condemned Democrats’ use of budgetary reconciliation, arguing that this indicates that Democrats are not really willing to work on a bipartisan basis.