President Biden and the Democrats indicate they will move forward with a $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill by using special fiscal rules to bypass a GOP filibuster.
A day after Biden had a meeting in the White House with 10 Republican senators supporting the move of a much smaller package, Biden called a meeting of Senate Democrats and urged them to get big and act quickly.
While going ‘big’ doesn’t rule out any deal between the White House and the Republicans, it suggests Biden wants to move forward with a much larger package that even centrist Republicans say they can support despite the president’s statements that he will also support Washington and work with Republicans.
Biden met a group of 10 Republican senators – including one via conference call – at the White House on Monday, giving some of them the impression that he could slow down a Democratic effort to speed up a partisan aid package in Congress. to allow more time for bipartisan negotiations.
But on Tuesday, his message to Senate Democrats during a lunchtime conference call was clear: Go big and act fast with a COVID-19 bill.
President Biden spoke of the need for Congress to respond courageously and quickly. He was very strong in emphasizing the need for a big, bold package. He said he told Senate Republicans that the $ 600 billion they were proposing was far too small, “Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer
Chuck Schumer Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick Lies In Honor In Rotunda Democrats Offer Resolution Denouncing White Supremacists Ahead of Trump Lawsuit Lobbying World MORE (DN.Y.) told reporters after the Democratic rally.
The president was assisted by the Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen
Janet Louise YellenOn The Money: Biden Calls Dems, Insists Big COVID Bill | Biden’s SEC pick sidelined as GameStop drama unfolds | Bezos Steps Down as Amazon CEO Senate Democrats Take First Step Toward Big COVID-19 Bill An Official’s Advice to Incoming Government: Listen to KISS MORE, which warned that an aid bill closer to the $ 618 billion proposed by the 10 GOP Republicans could leave the economy struggling for years to fully recover.
Schumer said that Biden and Yellen agree with him and Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiSchiff Lobbies Newsom to be Named California AG: Reports Biden Paying Respect to the Future of Fallen Capitol Police Officer Sicknick Greene’s Future on House Committees in Suspicion After GOP Meeting MORE (D-Calif.) That if Congress were satisfied with a smaller disaster relief, “we would be stuck in the COVID crisis for years.”
But the Republicans argue that the centerpiece of Biden’s plan – a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour – could actually hurt the economy, and they have a powerful ally in Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinProgressives Target Manchin, Sinema With New PAC Manchin Warns Democratic-Only Coronavirus Bill On The Money: Biden Calls Out Dems, Urges Major COVID Bill | Biden’s SEC pick sidelined as GameStop drama unfolds | Bezos is stepping down as CEO of Amazon MORE (DW.Va.), who announced on Tuesday that he is not in favor of raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15.
Her. Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins Manchin Backs Budget Alignment for Emergency Relief But With a Warning Head of Intercept Bureau: Schumer Will Hold COVID-19 Support to Avoid Primary The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Biden, GOP Senators Begin Discussions ; Dems move forward MORE (R-Maine), who hosted Monday’s GOP meeting with Biden, says a minimum wage increase should be moved separately.
“It is irrelevant to the treatment or the economic recovery or the withdrawal of vaccines,” she said Tuesday. “In fact, it would be very difficult for the hospitality industry, which is particularly harmed.”
Manchin said Tuesday that he wants to set the federal minimum wage at a level that is “responsible and reasonable.” He said that would be $ 11 an hour, adjusted for inflation, in West Virginia.
Schumer must unite all 50 members of his caucus to pass a budget resolution that sets the special track for passing a COVID relief law by a simple majority later in the year.
Manchin voted with 49 other members of the Democratic conference on Tuesday to advance the budget resolution, but warned that any bill that falls under budget reconciliation rules to avoid a filibuster must be targeted and have substantial input from Republican peers.
“I will vote to move forward with the budget process as we need to address the urgency of the COVID-19 crisis. But let me be clear – these are words I shared with President Biden – our focus should be on the COVID-19 crisis and Americans most affected by this pandemic, ”Manchin said in a statement.
Manchin, whose vote is crucial to achieving Biden’s highest legislative priority by simple majority, declined to say the size of the package he wants to support.
“I can’t tell you where the right numbers are, but if you have a good bipartisan input, you can argue and debate, then you get a good program,” he said.
Biden will need to balance these competing factions on Capitol Hill to maintain his reputation as a pragmatic leader who is willing to work with the opposition while keeping his base happy.
Several of the GOP senators who met Biden thought after the meeting that he could try to stop Schumer and Pelosi from racing ahead with a $ 1.9 trillion partisan aid package.
He did say that in his subsequent talks he should talk to Schumer and Pelosi to see where they can go, but as far as good faith negotiations are concerned, he is willing to hear from them this proposal and see what he can do, too. if it’s a quick bill like this passing and then tackling the other things later, ” said a Senate GOP assistant who was aware of the meeting, referring to the possibility of a smaller two-party bill with GOP votes to pass before Democrats pass a larger partisan law by 51 votes under budget alignment.
Other Republicans in the room with Biden on Monday got the clear impression that the president could agree to move a bipartisan package outside of the complicated budget reconciliation process. For this path, 10 GOP votes would have to be collected to collect the 60 it takes to overcome a filibuster.
“Clearly that’s what we’ve been encouraging,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann Murkowski The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Biden tests GOP negotiating skills in today’s COVID relief meeting GOP senators reveal 8 billion coronavirus proposal ahead of Biden meeting Biden meeting with GOP senators Monday on coronavirus relief MORE (R-Alaska) who was in Monday’s meeting. “There was an exchange of views, but also a promise to share and build on some of our sources and data and explore where we could make some adjustments.
He didn’t say, ‘I’m going to call Nancy and Chuck now,’ but he assured me that ‘I’ve heard you guys and we’re going to find out how to get here.’ I assume ‘moving forward here’ would be to share the outcome of our discussions with the House and Senate, ”she said.
Asked if Biden indicated that he would be willing to ask Democratic leaders to give bipartisan talks enough time to come to an agreement, Murkowski said: “He has understood us clearly, he knows clearly – he understands what it means to trying to make a deal. and need a little space. “
But at the same time, Murkowski said the president “also hears quite clearly the desire of the Democratic leaders and what they want to do” to file a major emergency immediately.
“He told us we have people on the other side who feel quite strongly that they don’t want to wait for Republican deals,” she added.
Her. Thom Tillis
Thomas (Thom) Roland Tillis The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Biden tests GOP negotiating skills in today’s COVID relief meeting GOP senators reveal 8 billion coronavirus proposal ahead of Biden meeting Biden meeting with GOP senators Monday on coronavirus relief MORE (RN.C.) said, “on some of the major issues, be it individual welfare benefits, some of the things we’re talking about for government funding, he was in an honest position to talk about it.”
Tillis said Biden “said he is working with his majority” and warned “that any step he takes towards us could potentially cost votes on the other side.”
“I think he wants to come up with an outcome,” he added.
“We talked about what things we could just go through and reach as consensus, because time is of the essence. If you think about it, when we get in [budget] vote-a-rama this week and then we move on to impeachment, it may be March before some of these priority items are sent to his desk, ”said Tillis.
He said he thinks Biden is open to moving a smaller bipartisan package before Democrats introduce a larger bill under budget alignment.
But other Republicans had a less optimistic takeaway from Monday’s rally.
“I got the impression he was trying to be cordial and let us know that he appreciated our contacting,” said Sen. Mike Rounds
Mike Rounds Senate Democrats Take First Step Toward Big COVID-19 Bill The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Biden Tests GOP Negotiation Skills in Today’s COVID Relief Rally GOP Senators Reveal 8 Billion Coronavirus Proposal Ahead of Biden Rally LAKE (RS.D.), who attended the meeting by phone. “To be honest, it kind of felt to me that he thought if he could do it without Republicans, he would be more than happy to do it.”
When asked if Biden is open to breaking up his package by disconnecting a bipartisan bill from the reconciliation process, Rounds said, “I didn’t hear that.”
Another Republican senator who met Biden on Monday said the president appears to be “in conflict” between working with moderate GOP senators and simply ramming his own $ 1.9 billion plan by Congress using budget reconciliation.
‘I think he’s probably in conflict. I think he really wants to work with us and his advisers and the Democrats here are saying, “Don’t even try.” ”
Her. Shelley Moore Capito
Shelley Wellons Moore CapitoBiden Calls Democrats, Urges Major COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act GOP Senators Reveal 8 Billion Coronavirus Proposal Ahead of Biden Meeting Biden Meeting GOP Senators Monday Over Coronavirus Relief MORE (RW.Va.) agreed on Tuesday that Biden appears more willing than some of his top advisers to work with Republican lawmakers.
“He seemed willing to continue the conversation and keep looking, but when I read the aftermath of the comments from, like his spokesperson, and I think there was another person who responded from his office, it seemed like this was the end and we are moving forward, ”she said.
– Jordain Carney contributed.