WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden will meet Monday afternoon with a group of 10 Republican senators who have proposed spending about a third of the $ 1.9 trillion he seeks on coronavirus relief, although Democrats in Congress are ready to move forward. go without Republican support.
An invitation to the White House came hours after lawmakers sent Biden a letter on Sunday urging him to negotiate rather than try to ram his aid package through Democratic votes alone. The House and Senate are on track to vote on a budget resolution this week, which would lay the groundwork for an aid package to be passed under rules requiring only a simple majority vote in the closely-divided Senate.
The goal is to get through by March, when the extra unemployment benefits and other pandemic aid ends. The meeting to be hosted by Biden would amount to the most public involvement of the president in the negotiations for the next round of virus control. Democratic and Republican lawmakers diverge widely in their proposals for aid.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Sunday that Biden had spoken with the group’s leader, Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine. While Biden wants “a full exchange of views,” Psaki reiterated that the president remains in favor of a far-reaching aid package.
“With the virus posed a serious threat to the country and the economic conditions dire for so many, the need for action is urgent and the scale of what needs to be done,” said Psaki.
By challenging Biden to deliver on his promise of unity, the group said in its letter that its counter-proposal will include $ 160 billion for vaccines, testing, treatments and personal protective equipment and calls for more targeted help than Biden’s plan to $ 1,400 Incentive Vouchers To Be Issued To Most Americans. .
Winning the support of 10 Republicans would be important to Biden in the 50-50 Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris is the tie-breaker. If all Democrats supported a final compromise law, the legislation would reach the 60-vote threshold necessary to overcome potential blocking efforts and be subject to regular senate procedures.
“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,” the Republican senators wrote. “Our proposal reflects many of your stated priorities, and with your support, we believe that this plan could be rapidly approved by Congress with the support of two parties.”
Biden’s plea to allow bipartisan negotiations more time comes as the president has shown signs of impatience as the more liberal wing of his party is considering putting the aid package through a process known as budget reconciliation. That would make the bill possible with only the support of its democratic majority.
The Republicans did not provide many details of their proposal. One of the signers, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy said it would cost about $ 600 billion.
“If you can’t find a two-pronged compromise on COVID-19, I don’t know where to find it,” said Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who also signed the letter.
But even when Biden delivered the invitation to Republican lawmakers, Psaki said $ 1,400 emergency checks, substantial funding to reopen schools, help small businesses and hurtful families, and more are “badly needed”.
“As leading economists have said, the danger now is not to do too much, but to do too little,” said Psaki. “Americans from both parties are looking forward to their leaders to meet the moment.”
Biden also spoke with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday, who are facing growing pressure from the more liberal Democratic members to move forward with Biden’s legislation with or without Republican backing.
The other GOP senators invited to meet with Biden are Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Mitt Romney from Utah, Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia, Todd Young from Indiana, Jerry Moran from Kansas, Mike Rounds from South Dakota and Thom Tillis from North Carolina.
Brian Deese, the White House’s chief economic adviser who directs the government’s reach to Congress, said earlier Sunday that officials were reviewing the letter. He did not immediately commit to a Biden meeting with lawmakers.
But Cedric Richmond, a senior Biden adviser, said the president is “very willing to meet with someone to move the agenda forward.” When asked about the senators’ plan, Richmond said, “This is about the seriousness of the goal.”
Deese indicated that the White House could be open to negotiating further restrictions on who would receive stimulus checks. Portman suggested that the checks should go to individuals who earn no more than $ 50,000 per year and families up to a maximum of $ 100,000 per year.
Under the Biden Plan, families with incomes up to $ 300,000 could receive some incentive money.
“That’s definitely a place we want to think about, are there any ways to make the whole package more effective?” Deese said.
As a candidate, Biden predicted that his decades in the Senate and his eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president gave him credibility as a deal maker and would help him bring Republicans and Democrats to consensus on the major issues facing the country.
But less than two weeks into his presidency, Biden expressed frustration at the pace of the negotiations at a time when the economy was showing even more signs of wear and tear from the pandemic. Last week, 847,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits, a sign that layoffs remain high as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage.
“I support the passing of COVID aid with Republican support if we can get it. But the COVID relief must pass – no ifs, and or buts, ”Biden said Friday.
In the letter, Republican lawmakers reminded Biden that in his inaugural address he proclaimed that the challenges facing the nation “require the most elusive things in a democracy: unity.”
Cassidy individually criticized the current Biden plan as “chock full of handouts and payouts to Democratic constituencies.”
“You want the patina of duality … so that’s not unity,” Cassidy said.
Jared Bernstein, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said Biden remains willing to negotiate, but officials should see more details from Republicans. At the same time, Bernstein pushed the government’s argument that doing too little to stimulate the economy could have a huge impact on the economy in the short and long term.
“See, the American people really can’t care less about the budget process, whether it’s a regular order, bipartisan, whether it’s filibuster, or reconciliation,” Bernstein said. “They need relief, and they need it now.”
Portman and Deese were on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and Deese was also interviewed on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Cassidy and Bernstein appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” and Richmond was on CBS “Face the Nation.”