Senator Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, listens during a Senate Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Iran-US relations at the Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, on Wednesday, October 16, 2019.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
WASHINGTON – A group of 10 Republican senators asked President Joe Biden to consider an alternative proposal for a smaller Covid-19 relief, while his government works to approve a $ 1.9 trillion package to deal with the economic consequences triggered by the pandemic.
In a letter to Biden on Sunday, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, Rob Portman of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and five other lawmakers said they would reveal their proposed legislation on Monday.
“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,” wrote the senators.
“With your support, we believe that Congress can once again design an aid package that will provide meaningful and effective assistance to the American people and put us on the road to recovery,” wrote the group calling for a meeting with Biden to discuss the proposed legislation. in greater detail.
Republican senators explained that their version of Covid’s aid package provides “more targeted assistance” to the neediest Americans. The proposed legislation calls for a total of $ 160 billion for the development and distribution of vaccines, testing and screening, treatment, as well as other essential supplies.
The senators established the following details of their plan:
- An additional round of economic impact payments for families most in need of assistance, including their children and dependent adults.
- Extends improved federal unemployment benefits at the current level.
- It fully finances nutritional assistance to help families in need.
- Additional resources to help small businesses and their employees through the Pay Check Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.
- It funds resources for opening schools safely and for daycare centers.
- It provides $ 4 billion to strengthen behavioral health services and substance abuse.
On Sunday, Portman told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the proposal would be a leaner version of what was presented by the Biden government.
“It would be less than $ 1.9 [trillion] because a lot of what the government has established has nothing to do with Covid-19, “explained Portman.” As an example, in relation to direct payments, we think they should be much more targeted, “he added.
Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, told MSNBC’s “Meet the Press” program on Sunday that the White House received the letter and was open to discussing the proposed legislation.
“The president has repeatedly said that he is open to ideas from wherever they arise, that we could improve the approach to really address this crisis. What he is uncompromising about is the need to move quickly on a comprehensive approach here,” said Deese.
“We have been engaging with members of Congress from both parties and in both houses over the past two weeks. We will continue to do so as we move forward,” he added.
Deese also told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the government is willing to negotiate stimulus checks.
The Republican counter-proposal comes at a time when the House is expected to pass a budget resolution this week, the first step in approving the bill through reconciliation. The process would allow Senate Democrats to pass an aid measure without Republican support.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer of New York signaled last week that the chamber would also work to pass a budget resolution soon. He said the Senate “will begin the process of considering a very strong Covid relief bill as early as next week.”
When asked whether Senate Democrats could approve the bailout through the reconciliation process, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont told ABC’s “This Week” program that he believed his party had votes to do so.
“It’s hard for me to imagine any Democrat, no matter what state he comes from, who doesn’t understand the need to move now aggressively to protect working families in this country,” said Sanders.
“Look, we will all have differences of opinion, this is a $ 1.9 trillion account, I have differences and concerns about this project, but in the end we will support the President of the United States and we will do what the American people he wants us to do it in an overwhelming way “, he added.
Jacob Pramuk, Tucker Higgins and Emma Newburger of CNBC contributed to this New York report.