White House and Democrats advocate approving Covid-19 aid package without Republican Party support

White House and Democrats advocate approving Covid-19 aid package without Republican Party support

by

“This is the scope of the problem and the scope of the type of package it needs – we need to move on to resolve this,” she said, adding that Biden is not willing to “make this a political, Washington party issue and prevent the American people get the relief you need. “

The House passed Biden’s Covid aid package on Saturday morning along party lines by a 219-212 vote without Republican support, moving the huge piece of legislation one step closer to the president’s desk. Biden’s expected approval risks undermining his declared commitment to bipartisanship – something Republicans have already taken advantage of in their fight against the bill.

The aid package now goes to the Senate, where it is likely to receive broad support from Democrats in the chamber, including Sens. Sherrod Brown, Mazie Hirono and Chris Coons, each of whom also defended the bill against criticism of its lack of Republican support in the home.

“Just because Senate Republicans don’t support that doesn’t make him partisan, what makes him bipartisan is public support for him,” Brown, an Ohio Democrat, told NBC.

Biden says 'there is no time to waste' for the Senate to approve its Covid aid package

Coons told Bash in the “State of the Union” that his party “gave several weeks to have a serious negotiation that approached the scope and scope of that challenge”, but that “the proposals presented were nothing like the scale of the challenge. ”

“And then, frankly, we are moving forward with a bill that is unlikely to win Republican votes in the Senate, but will have broad Republican support in the country,” said Coons of Delaware.

Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, told ABC that the Senate must “get the huge Covid bill passed and we know that we will have to do it without any Republican support”.

“It is up to the Republicans why we are having a hard time making the Covid bill (in a bipartisan way) in Congress, not across the country,” she said, blaming the party for any obstacles that have slowed the process in recent weeks.

Republicans, meanwhile, criticized the way Democrats handled the bill on Sunday, with Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, telling Bash in the “State of the Union” that Psaki’s comments about involvement of your party in the specifics of the legislation were “Joke.”

“You can find something, maybe, where, oh my God, we will be criticized about it, so let’s adapt. But the reality is that they came up with a package that reflects the interests of the Democratic voters who elected the president,” he said, pointing to funding in the San Francisco transit system bill.

“Yes, he was open to unity and bipartisanship,” said the senator, referring to Biden’s call for bipartisanship during his inaugural address. “That hasn’t been that legislation.”

House approves $ 1.9 trillion Covid aid package from Biden

Senator Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, told ABC that he is disappointed that the White House has not contacted Republicans to work on a bipartisan bill now that the package has passed the House.

“There are a number of things here that have nothing to do with Covid’s relief,” he said. “It is simply not directed. We have a republican alternative, as you know, we have been talking to the president and his people about it. We have had no answer, which is much more targeted and focused … it is what we should do. This is not difficult. . “

The House Democrats’ advanced package includes $ 1,400 in direct checks for Americans earning less than $ 75,000 a year, direct aid to small businesses, direct funding for state and local governments, funding for schools and more money for vaccine distribution .

Democrats push for minimum wage increase

When the bill reaches the Senate, the House must withdraw a clause in the legislation that raises the federal minimum wage after the Senate congressman decided against its inclusion in the procedure known as reconciliation, which Senate Democrats are using to approve the bill. simple majority of votes.

The bill would then go back to the House for a separate vote before reaching Biden’s desk for sanction.

Coons said on CNN that he does not believe that the Democrats’ inability to approve a minimum wage increase through the budget reconciliation process without Republican support should leave them frustrated and “raise the white flag” over bipartisan work.

“We will have other chances to pass bold legislation in this Congress this year, but we have to give bipartisanship a chance,” he said.

Asked if he would support proposals from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden who would penalize companies that pay their employees less than $ 15 an hour, a move that progressives see as another way to push up the minimum wage increase, Coons said he has not yet seen the proposals.

“If I am someone who is always willing to negotiate with Republicans, I am also willing to negotiate with Democrats,” he said, noting that Democrats and many Republicans agree that the current $ 7.25 federal minimum wage is too much. low.

CNN’s Daniella Diaz, Veronica Stracqualursi, Betsy Klein and Jasmine Wright contributed to this report.

.Source