President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus economic relief package is expected to cost billions, and on Tuesday, transition officials briefed Democratic congressional staff on their priorities for the massive stimulus bill, they said. tell CBS News two people familiar with the plans.
Items in the package considered by Mr Biden to be “critical” include stimulus payments of $ 2,000 for Americans, more money for cities and states to increase their response to COVID-19 and improve the distribution of vaccines and provide more funding to schools.
Biden also wants to see another extension and increase in improved unemployment insurance payments, which were extended last month and are currently expected to last until mid-March.
How will Biden convince Congress to pass this bill?
The Biden White House is seeking bipartisan support for its COVID relief package, which could mean significant changes in legislation to attract more Republican support. That goal was also communicated Tuesday to congressional aides.
If Mr. Biden is unable to reach an agreement with Senate Republicans, this package could lead to reconciliation, a process sometimes used for spending measures. Under this approach, the bill would only require a simple majority to pass it and would not be blocked by a filibuster. Most Senate laws require 60 votes to overcome an obstacle. This option will be used above the Biden team framework with only Democratic votes. Once the results of the Georgia Senate election are certified, there will be a 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will break any ties. With Harris as the 51st ballot, Democrats will control the Senate.
President-elect Biden is expected to explain his COVID relief proposal on Thursday. On Wednesday, a transitional Biden official did not respond when asked for comment.
This legislation is likely to face intense lobbying from members of Congress and special interests, which could affect the final price.
Some elements of the legislation, such as the $ 2,000 stimulus payments for Americans, already have bipartisan support. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida sent a letter Tuesday to implore Mr. Biden to include the larger checks. The president-elect has been asking for $ 2,000 checks for weeks and has campaigned on the issue in Georgia ahead of the Jan. 2 Senate election.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a 15-page letter to Biden transition officials leading the COVID-19 response calling for greater oversight of the federal government’s response to the pandemic. Warren wants to see increased data collection and notification of sites with frequent COVID-19 clusters, including assisted living centers and behavioral health clinics.
The incoming administration has requested input on the legislation of state and local leaders. Biden employees have been in “listening mode” with several governors ’offices to obtain their assessments of the federal government’s COVID-19 response. “We have a different sense of urgency than the previous administration in addressing this and are proactive in working collaboratively with states,” a Democratic governor official told CBS News.
The designated Secretary for Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, along with Dr. Vivek Murthy, who has been appointed general surgeon, and the head of the COVID equity working group, Dra. Marcella Núñez-Smith, has also recently met with a dozen religious leaders. , which combined leading religious groups with tens of millions of members, in order to discuss an equitable federal response to communities of color.
Two attendees at the meeting told CBS News that the group discussed using faith-based hospitals and clinics to increase access to and confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine, particularly in places with “pharmacy deserts. “. Biden’s team did not outline specific plans to reach skeptical Americans about the vaccine, two religious leaders told CBS News, but both said they were encouraged by the discussion.
A faith leader told CBS News that his network plans to pressure the Biden team to expand children’s tax credits.