Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer is saying privately that he can approve President Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus package, but wants to prevent any last-minute changes from damaging his path, said three familiar sources with the negotiations to Axios.
Why it matters: While the president hoped to obtain Republican support for the measure, Schumer worked to ensure that he would have a solid 50 votes to apply it, if necessary. A parliamentary decision on Thursday increased his chances.
What we’re hearing: Schumer met with a group of moderate Democratic senators on Thursday morning. They pushed for some changes to the bill – including moving pots of money, more funding for broadband and rural hospitals and extending unemployment benefits after August.
- “They have some ideas and we will check them out,” Schumer told Axios later.
- Asked if any of the lawmakers suggested lowering the project’s overall price, Schumer said: “I won’t go into details.”
The leader is afraid to rock the boat now, the sources said, and they expect the measure to remain relatively unchanged in its final version.
- “Schumer [has] has been meeting privately with members to get their opinion on the legislation and ensure that it is included in the newsroom, “said a person familiar with the meetings.
The most recently: The Senate congressman announced late on Thursday that Democrats would not be able to include a minimum wage of $ 15 as part of the reconciliation process.
- The decision was significant because Sens. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) Said they were opposed to including the salary increase in the package, potentially costing Democrats critical votes.
The final result: Democrats have largely been aware that an almost $ 2 trillion package is needed to meet the urgency of the COVID-19 crisis.
- Last month, a group of 10 moderate Republican senators offered a counterproposal of approximately $ 600 billion, but it was summarily rejected by the White House.
- The White House has been publicly optimistic that it will add some Republican support, but has been preparing to approve the package anyway.
- This strategy requires the entire Democratic caucus in the Senate to support it, leaving no room for error.