GOP lawmakers urge Biden to meet with them to alleviate the virus

WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden has agreed to meet with a group of 10 Republican senators who have proposed spending about a third of the $ 1.9 trillion he is seeking in aid of the coronavirus, though Democrats in Congress are willing to move forward without the support of Republicans.

Sunday’s invitation to the White House came hours after lawmakers sent Biden a letter urging him to negotiate instead of trying to pass on his aid package just for Democrat votes. The House and Senate are well on their way to voting as soon as possible this week on a budget resolution that would lay the groundwork for the passage of an aid package under rules that require only a simple majority in the narrowly divided Senate.

The goal is to pass by March, when additional unemployment benefits and other pandemic benefits expire. The meeting offered by Biden would constitute greater public involvement for the president in negotiations for the next round of virus relief. Democratic and Republican lawmakers are far behind in their bailout proposals.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that Biden had spoken with the group’s leader, Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine. Although Biden wants a full exchange of views, “Psaki reiterated that he stands in favor of moving forward with a broad facilitation package. A meeting could come within a few days.

“With the virus posing a major threat to the country and the grim economic conditions for so many, the need for action is urgent and the scale of what needs to be done is great,” Psaki said.

In challenging Biden to fulfill his commitment to unity, the group said in its letter that its counter-proposal would include $ 160 billion for vaccines, testing, treatment and personal protective equipment and calls for more targeted relief than Bidens plans to issue $ 1,400 in stimulus checks for most Americans.

Gaining the support of 10 Republicans would be significant for Biden in the 50-50 Senate where Vice President Kamala Harris is the breaker. If all Democrats were to support a final compromise bill, the legislation would reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome potential blocking efforts and pass under regular Senate procedures.

In the spirit of bipartisanship and unity, we have developed a COVID-19 facilitation framework based on previous COVID aid laws, all of which passed with bipartisan support, Republican senators write. Our proposal reflects many of your stated priorities, and with your support, we believe this plan can be quickly approved by Congress with bipartisan support.

The bid for Biden to give bipartisan negotiations more time comes as the president has shown signs of impatience as his party’s more liberal wing considers passing the aid package through a process known as budget reconciliation. This would allow the bill to move forward only with the support of its Democratic majority.

Republicans did not provide much detail about their proposal. One of the signatories, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, said it would cost about $ 600 billion.

If you can not find a bilateral compromise on COVID-19, I do not know where you can find it, said Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who also signed the letter.

But even as Biden extended the invitation to Republican lawmakers, Psaki said $ 1,400 in facilitation checks, substantial funding for school reopening, small business assistance and family damage, and more are needed.

“As key economists have said, the risk now is not to do too much: it is to do too little,” Psaki said. “Americans on both sides are asking their leaders to meet the moment.

Biden also spoke Sunday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who are facing a growing push from more liberal Democrat members to move forward with Biden legislation with or without Republican support.

Other GOP senators invited to meet with Biden include Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Todd Young of Indiana, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Thom Tillis of Carolina. of the North.

Brian Deese, the White House top economic adviser who is leading administrations in Congress, said earlier Sunday that administration officials were reviewing the letter. He did not immediately vow a Biden meeting with lawmakers.

But Cedric Richmond, a senior Biden adviser, said the president is very willing to meet with anyone to move the agenda forward. “When asked about the senators ‘plan, Richmond said,’ It has to do with the seriousness of the purpose.

Deese indicated that the White House could be open to negotiating further restrictions on who would receive incentive checks. Portman suggested that checks should go for individuals making no more than $ 50,000 a year and families with less than $ 100,000 a year.

Under Biden’s plan, families with incomes of up to $ 300,000 can receive some incentive money.

This is certainly a place they were willing to sit down and think, is there a way to make the whole package more effective? Tha Deese.

As a candidate, Biden envisioned his decades in the Senate and his eight years as Vice President of Barack Obama gave him credibility as a bargaining chip and would help Republicans and Democrats reach consensus on the most important issues the country faces. .

But less than two weeks after his presidency, Biden showed disappointment with the pace of negotiations at a time when the economy showed further evidence of pandemic consumption. Last week, 847,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits, a sign that layoffs remain high as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage.

I support facilitating COVID with Republican support if we can get it. But COVID relief should not pass any if, and if or but, Biden said Friday.

In the letter, Republican lawmakers reminded Biden that in his inaugural address, he declared that the challenges the nation faces require “the most elusive things in a democracy: Unity.”

“Cassidy separately criticized Biden’s current plan as full of donations and rewards for democratic constituencies.”

“You want the skate of bipartisanship … so that there is no unity,” Cassidy said.

Jared Bernstein, a member of the White House Economic Advisory Council, said Biden remains willing to negotiate but that officials should see more details from Republicans. At the same time, Bernstein put pressure on the administration’s argument that doing too little to stimulate the economy could have a major impact on the economy in the short and long term.

“Look, the American people really could not be less interested in the budget process, if it was their orderly, partisan order, if it was the filibuster, if it agreed,” Bernstein said. “They need relief, and they need it.” tani.

Portman and Deese were on CNNs 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 “.

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