Ten Republican senators this Sunday announced a $ 600,000 million support proposal against the coronavirus crisis, calling for a meeting with President Joe Biden to negotiate the $ 1.9 billion stimulus plan launched by the Democrats on this premise. is promoted in Congress (where they have a majority). ) and from the White House.
Senators, led by Susan Collins, R-Maine, will release additional details of their plan Monday. In the letter to Biden, they claimed their proposal responds to the president’s requests for “unity”.
Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Mitt Romney for Utah; and Rob Portman of Ohio, are other senators who signed the letter, “welcoming the opportunity to work” [con Biden] in a twofold way to fight the coronavirus and provide ongoing support to families struggling during the pandemic. “
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“In the spirit of duality and unity, we have developed a COVID-19 crisis response framework that builds on pre-pandemic welfare laws passed with the support of both parties,” they wrote.
The proposal from this group of senators includes $ 160,000 million for the development and distribution of vaccines, tests and tracing, treatments and supplies, including the manufacture and mass distribution of personal protective equipment.
While Biden’s plan would send checks of $ 1,400 to people with incomes of up to $ 75,000 a year and couples up to $ 150,000, Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman and one of the letter signatories noted that the proposal would lower threshold to $ 50,000 for individuals and $ 100,000 for couples. The checks would be $ 1,000, according to Senator Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, and another member of the group.
His measures are being tabled as Democrats prepare to continue on Monday on a partisan road on Biden’s law, which Republicans reject on the grounds that it is too expensive, as Congress has already allocated $ 4 trillion for it. Fight against the pandemic, including the $ 900 billion plan, approved after lengthy negotiations in December.
The Republican counter-proposal also includes $ 4 billion to bolster mental health and substance abuse treatment; a new round of direct payments for “the families most in need of help”; and more federal unemployment benefits.
The Republican proposal is expected to rule out an increase in the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, as Biden wants.
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Biden’s transition team announced mid-month that the $ 1.9 trillion package would fund COVID-19 vaccines and provide immediate relief to families and communities most affected by the pandemic.
Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, confirmed to CNN on Sunday that the White House had received the letter.
“We have received the document and we will be reviewing it throughout the day,” Deese confirmed, “what I will say is that the provisions of the president’s plan are aligned with the economic crisis we are facing.”
Biden, he added, is “uncompromising when it comes to the speed with which we need to act to address this crisis.”.
The proposal comes because Biden has suggested he is willing to approve a significant portion of the $ 1.9 trillion package through a tactic known as reconciliation. [un proceso legislativo del Congreso que acelera la aprobación de cierta legislación presupuestaria en el Senado] when the republicans refuse to turn their arm. The move would mean the package only requires a Senate majority of 51 votes, instead of 60.
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“We request that you discuss our proposal in more detail and how we can work together to meet the needs of the American people during this ongoing pandemic,” the Republican senators wrote to Biden, adding: “We recognize your request for unity and are committed to working in good faith with your administration to face the health, economic and social challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis. “
The other signatories to the letter are Republican Senators Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia; Todd Young, for Indiana; Jerry Moran, for Kansas; Mike Rounds, for South Dakota; and Thom Tillis, for North Carolina.
With information from CNN and The Washington Post.