Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., Accused President Biden of giving up true unity for a “patina of unity” and said the president had not contacted his group of bipartisan senators before he made his $ 1 coronavirus proposal earlier in January. , Released 9 trillion. .
Cassidy is one of ten Republican senators to propose an alternative coronavirus package worth $ 600 billion on Sunday.
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“We are focused on the needs of the American people and treat our tax dollars as if they were our tax dollars and not just money to spend,” Cassidy told “Fox News Sunday.” “If you say you want duality … and then you have budget reconciliation that’s chock-full of disbursements to Democratic constituency groups … you don’t want duality, you want the patina of duality.”
Cassidy claimed that Biden was not even trying to cooperate with his two-tier group of senators.
“The president’s team did not reach anyone in our group, neither Democrat nor Republican, when they formed their proposal,” Cassidy said. “So if you want unity, if you want to be bipartisan, you should start with a group that has been shown to be willing to work together for a common solution. They didn’t.”
In this January 11 file photo, kindergarten teacher Angela Panush reads a story to her students at Dawes Elementary in Chicago. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia / Chicago Sun-Times via AP, pool file)
Cassidy said the senators’ proposal is in line with Biden’s $ 160 billion pledge to fund vaccinations and includes $ 20 billion “to get children back to school.” Cassidy and fellow Senate Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Todd Young of Indiana, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, and Thom Tillis from North Carolina sent Biden a letter on Sunday.
“In the spirit of duality and unity, we have developed a COVID-19 emergency response framework that builds on previous COVID assistance laws, all passed with bipartisan support,” they wrote. “Our proposal reflects many of your stated priorities, and with your support, we believe this plan can be rapidly approved by Congress with the support of two parties.”
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Cassidy said direct payments for coronavirus assistance should be more targeted.
“Above a certain income level, that money isn’t spent … doesn’t stimulate the economy,” he said.
Biden said his proposal would speed up the nation’s COVID vaccination program, increase coronavirus testing capacity to help reopen businesses and schools, and provide $ 1,400 incentive checks for Americans.
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Biden called it his ‘American Rescue Plan’.
“We don’t just have an economic need to act now – I believe we have a moral obligation,” Biden said in a televised address on January 14.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.