President Joe Biden, accompanied by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen (not shown), attends a meeting with business executives at the White House Oval Office in Washington, February 9, 2021.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
The White House has reached out to executives in various industries to rally support for the Covid-19 $ 1.9 trillion Biden government emergency plan, according to people familiar with the case.
Over the past week, government officials have held at least two interviews with leaders from various business sectors, including Wall Street and tech, these folks said, who refused to be named in order to speak up.
Brian Deese, President Joe Biden’s chief economic adviser, took part in some of the calls, one said. Most calls are anchored by the Office of Public Engagement, which is headed by former Representative Cedric Richmond, another person said.
According to a White House official who declined to be named, the administration has been in contact with companies and groups, including:
- American Airlines
- The American Chamber of Commerce
- The Business Roundtable
- Ernst
- The National Association of Manufacturers
- General engines
- The Black Economic Alliance
This development comes a day after Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with several key CEOs in the Oval Office to discuss the contingency plan. The government and Democrats in Congress want to approve the measure in mid-March.
President Joe Biden sits next to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (R) as he holds a meeting with business executives on a Covid bill in the White House Oval Office in Washington, DC, Feb. 9, 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
With these calls, Biden officials aim to form a coalition to support the president’s contingency plan, the people familiar with the matter said. Most of the participants have expressed support for much of Biden’s proposal, the people said.
“They make sure everyone supports it,” said one person familiar with the outreach. “Nothing is too big,” this person added, explaining the consensus view of the business leaders.
The government is also consulting with business leaders, lawmakers and other stakeholders to find ways to potentially improve the legislation, the White House official said.
Discussions focused on several aspects of the plan, including the overall price tag, direct payments of $ 1,400 to Americans and the prospect of raising the federal minimum wage, the official added. The administration has also sought feedback from executives on how they dealt with the pandemic.
Some leaders with whom the White House has a relationship are against certain aspects of Biden’s plan.
Outgoing US Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue, who met with Biden on Tuesday, has warned against raising the minimum wage to $ 15. The minimum wage increase is part of Biden’s Covid aid plan. The chamber has said it supports Biden’s blanket proposal to address the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the latest quarterly CNBC | SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey 63 percent of small business owners support the $ 1.9 Trillion Covid Aid Package.
Biden herself has started meeting with top officials about the proposal and future policy plans.
Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Yellen met on Tuesday with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Walmart’s Doug McMillon, Gap’s Sonia Syngal and Donohue.
Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, attends a meeting hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden with business executives on a Covid-19 bill at the White House Oval Office in Washington, DC, February 9, 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
The discussion began with a 15-minute speech by Biden, who stressed the need to fight the virus while helping the economy. Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison, who was also at the meeting, spoke about the importance of jobs, while Dimon spoke about the need for policies that bring about healthy economic growth.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress appear to be on track to approve the plan without help from Republicans, who have called for a much smaller package.
Democrats in both the House and Senate recently passed a budget resolution that could help without Republican backing, with help. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Said after the budget resolution passed that Democrats in her chamber will strive to pass their party’s aid proposal within two weeks.
The resolution mandated committees to draft a series of coronavirus relief measures included in Biden’s proposal, such as $ 1,400 direct payments, a $ 400 federal unemployment rate increase through September, $ 350 billion in national , local and tribal aid, funds for Covid-19 vaccines and testing, and rent and mortgage counseling.
Still, there are some Democrats who have expressed concern about the target of the $ 1,400 checks. For example, Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va, has said he fears the incentive checks will go to too many high-income people who may not necessarily need the help.
Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Said there should be no income limit on who can receive checks from the federal government.
Biden has said he is open to negotiating the option of payments, which under the current proposal would go entirely to individuals making up to $ 75,000 and couples making up to $ 150,000.