WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer announced that senators will vote on Tuesday for a first step to finally approve President Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus recovery package in a fast track with or without republican support.
Schumer said that Congress should take bold steps towards “America’s long-awaited return”. The procedural vote initiates a lengthy budget procedure that would allow Democrats, who have a small majority, to approve Biden’s proposal on their own, should Republicans object.
The quick action on the next steps comes after Biden told Republican senators during a two-hour meeting that he is unwilling to accept an insufficient coronavirus aid package after they submitted his reduced $ 618 billion proposal, which is a fraction of the $ 1.9 trillion the president is looking for.
No deal was reached in Monday night’s long session, Biden’s first with legislators at the White House. The president has made it clear that he will not delay aid in the hope of winning the support of the Republican Party.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that while there were areas of agreement, “the president also reiterated his view that Congress should respond boldly and urgently, and noted many areas that the Republican senators’ proposal does not address ”.
She said: “He will not delay work on this urgent response to the crisis and he will not be content with a package that does not meet the moment”.
The two sides are far apart, with the Republican group of 10 senators focused primarily on the health crisis and less than $ 1,000 direct aid to Americans, and Biden leading the Democrats in a more comprehensive bailout package to support families, local governments and a government partially closed economy.
The goal is to have the relief from COVID-19 approved by March, when extra unemployment and other pandemic aids expire, testing the ability of the new government and Congress to deliver results, with political risks of failure on all sides.
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine called the meeting a “frank and very helpful” conversation, noting that the president also provided some details about his proposal.
“We are all concerned about struggling families, fluctuating small businesses and an overburdened healthcare system,” said Collins, flanked by other senators outside the White House.
Republicans are taking advantage of the bipartisan urgency to improve the distribution of the vaccine in the country and broadly expand virus testing with $ 160 billion in aid. This is similar to what Biden proposed. But from there, the two plans diverge dramatically.
The Republican Party’s $ 1,000 direct payments would go to fewer families than the $ 1,400 that Biden proposed, and Republicans offer only a fraction of what he wants to reopen schools.
They would also give the states nothing, money that Democrats say is just as important, with $ 350 billion in Biden’s plan to keep the police, firefighters and other workers at work. Democratic priorities are gone, such as a gradual increase in the federal minimum wage to $ 15 one hour.
Cautious Democrats have moved on to Capitol Hill, not wanting to spend too much time wooing support from the Republican Party that may not materialize or delivering an insufficient package that they believe does not address the scope of the country’s health crisis and economic problems.
House and Senate Democrats released a separate budget resolution on Monday, a step towards approving Biden’s package with a reconciliation process that would not depend on Republican support for approval.
“The cost of inaction is high and rising, and the time for decisive action is now,” said Schumer and spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi in a statement.
The acceleration of negotiations occurred when the Congressional Budget Office presented mixed economic forecasts Monday, with robust growth expected at an annual rate of 4.5%, but employment rates will not return to pre-pandemic levels for several years.
The opening of the coalition of 10 Republican senators, most of them centrists, was an attempt to show that at least some in the Republican ranks want to work with Biden’s new government, rather than simply operating as a minority opposition in Congress.
Asked whether Biden was willing to cut his $ 1.9 trillion revenue, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said: “He did not say that, nor did we say we are willing to move up” from the Republican Party plan. He said it is “too early” to say whether an agreement can be reached.
But in echoes of the 2009 financial crisis, Democrats warn against a very small package, as they believe it happened during the Obama administration’s attempt to pull the nation into recovery.
An invitation to Republican Party senators to meet with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House came hours after lawmakers sent Biden a letter on Sunday. urging him to negotiate instead of trying to force his aid package with Democratic votes only.
The cornerstone of the GOP plan is $ 160 billion for the health response – distribution of vaccines, a “massive expansion” of tests, protective equipment and funds for rural hospitals, according to a draft. It also includes $ 20 billion to reopen schools compared to $ 170 billion in Biden’s plan. Republicans offer $ 40 billion in commercial aid from the Payment Protection Program.
According to the GOP proposal, direct payments of $ 1,000 would go to individuals who earn up to $ 40,000 a year, or $ 80,000 for couples. The proposal would begin to eliminate the benefit after that, with no payments for individuals earning more than $ 50,000 or $ 100,000 for couples. This is less than Biden’s proposal for direct payments of $ 1,400 at higher income levels, up to $ 300,000 for some families.
The meeting, while private, was Biden’s most public involvement in the negotiations.
Winning the support of 10 Republicans would be significant, potentially giving Biden the necessary votes in the 50-50 Senate, where Harris is the tiebreaker. Or he can push it through the budgetary reconciliation process, which would allow the bill to pass a majority vote of 51 in the Senate, instead of the 60 votes normally needed to move the legislation forward.
The White House remains committed to exploring avenues for bipartisanship, even as it prepares for Democrats to move forward alone on a COVID-19 relief bill, according to a senior government official with anonymity to discuss private thinking.
At the same time, the White House may be willing to adjust its request, perhaps by changing some aspects less virus-oriented in a package that will be sent to Congress, the official said.
Biden relied on his decades-long Senate curriculum and as vice president to bring parties together, but in less than two weeks from his presidency, he is frustrated by the pace of negotiations as claims for unemployment benefits remain stubbornly high and the death toll at COVID-19 approaches 450,000 Americans.
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Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Alexandra Jaffe, Darlene Superville and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.