Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerCapitol Officer Brian Sicknick is honored at the Roundabout Democrats offer resolution denouncing white supremacists before Trump’s trial. Lobby World MORE (DN.Y.) on Wednesday said that Democrats are “united” in relieving the coronavirus after a meeting with President Biden.
“There is an agreement, a universal agreement. We need to be big and bold,” Schumer told reporters.
Biden met with Schumer and ten new Democratic committee chairmen, who will participate in drafting the coronavirus relief bill. The Senate has yet to pass a budget resolution that gives the green light to approving coronavirus relief without the need to overcome a 60-vote obstruction.
The meeting with the Senate’s top Democrats came after Biden made a call with House Democrats to discuss his $ 1.9 trillion proposal, which includes a $ 1,400, $ 350 billion stimulus check on government assistance state and local, unemployment insurance and an increase in the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
While Democrats will pass the budget resolution this week, paving the way for subsequent coronavirus legislation, they still need to reach agreement on the eventual bill.
Democrats have no room for error if they pass the legislation without the support of the Republican Party. They have a 10-vote lead in the House and will need the support of all members of the 50-sen bench to pass it without Republican votes.
There are already points of contention, including pressure to include a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour. Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinProgressives targets Manchin, Sinema with new PAC Manchin warns against coronavirus relief project only for Democrats On The Money: Biden calls Dems and calls for big COVID project | SEC’s Biden picks up as GameStop drama unfolds | Bezos stepping down as CEO of Amazon MAIS (DW.Va.) told The Hill that he does not support this measure, and with such a narrow margin in the upper house, his opposition could be sufficient to dismiss it from the bill.
He also told Fox News that he sees the amount of money requested from state and local governments as too high.
Democrats have also been debating whether to change the framework for eliminating relief checks over concerns that this could allow higher-income families, who were not eligible for payments under the $ 600 check, to receive a direct assistance payment. .
Previous proposals to provide the $ 1,400 check have generated bipartisan skepticism in the Senate because they have increased the value of checks, but have maintained the same phasing-out structure.
Biden told House Democrats that he was open to changing the eligibility of $ 1,400 checks, but he committed to the amount of the check.
Democrats say they still hope that Republicans will end up voting in favor of the coronavirus project, although Republicans are warning that they see the use of reconciliation as a sign that Democrats intend to go it alone.
Schumer, speaking to reporters, warned that they were not willing to “water down” the bill. A group of 10 Republicans presented a $ 618 billion package that Biden told them during a closed door meeting at the White House that was too low.
“We want to do this bipartisan, but we must be strong. We cannot delay, we cannot delay, we cannot dilute, because the problems that this nation has and the opportunities that we can bring them are very big,” said Schumer.