WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden on Wednesday told Democratic lawmakers he was “not married” to an absolute $ 1.9 trillion COVID bailout figure but Congress needs to “act quickly” in relation to pandemic relief and the economic crisis.
Biden also said he does not want to change from his proposed $ 1,400 in promised direct payments to Americans. But he said he is willing to “go” to aid, which would mean lowering the income threshold to qualify for the money.
“Look, today we have a lot of people hurting our country,” Biden said. “We must act. We have to act quickly. “
Biden said, “I will not begin my administration by breaking a promise to the American people.”
He spoke with House Democrats and was followed by a meeting in the White House with top Senate Democrats, deepening his public engagements with lawmakers on pandemic aid and an economic recovery package. Together they are their first legislative priority and a test of the administration’s ability to work with Congress.
Biden’s statements to the Democratic House committee were conveyed by two people who requested anonymity to discuss the private conference.
While Biden tries to build the bipartisan support of the Republicans, is also willing to rely on the Democratic majority in Congress to introduce the law on its first agenda item. Opposing the president’s package as excessive, Republicans proposed a $ 618 billion alternative with lower direct payments of $ 1,000 and zero aid for states and cities But Biden considered the GOP package insufficient when it continues private talks with Republicans on possible areas of compromise.
In his meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the top ten Senate Democrats in the oval office, the president expressed confidence that the relief package would still win Republican Party votes and it would be bipartisan.
“I think we’ll get some Republicans,” he said at the start of the meeting.
With an increase in the number of deaths from viruses and a tense economy, the goal is to approve the relief of COVID-19 in March, when the extra unemployment benefit and other pandemic aid measures expire. There is money for vaccine distribution, direct payments to households, school reopening and commercial aid.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president fully acknowledges that the final package may look different from what he initially proposed.
He said targeting more than $ 1,400 in payments “doesn’t mean the size of the check, it means the income level of the people receiving the check.” He discussed this, he said.
As congressional lawmakers begin drafting the details of the package, Biden is tasked with defending his allies and at the same time also ensuring that the end product fulfills its promise of bold relief to a battered nation.
House Democrats were told in the call with the president that they could be flexible on some numbers and programs, but that they should not back down on the size or scope of aid.
“We have to go big, not small,” Biden told Democrats. “I have my back, and mine.”
As the White House seeks a bipartisan bill, House and Senate Democrats have begun a lengthy budget process to pass Biden’s bill with or without Republican support. Voting began Tuesday in the Senate and is set for Wednesday and Thursday in the House.
“We want to do it bipartisan, but we have to be strong,” Schumer said after the 90-minute session at the White House. Democrats “work with our Republican friends, when we can.”
Quick action comes after Tuesday’s broadcast as Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined Democratic senators for a virtual private meeting, both declaring a $ 618 billion offer from Republicans it was too small.
Both Biden and Yellen recalled lessons from the government’s response to the 2009 financial crisis, which some have said have since been inadequate as conditions worsened.
Schumer said of the Republican proposal: “If we made such a small package, we would be embroiled in the COVID crisis for years.”
Earlier in the week, Biden met with 10 Republican senators who launched their $ 618 billion alternative and told them he would not delay aid in hopes of winning Republican Party support even if talks continue.
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell criticized Democrats for pushing largely on their own as Republican Party senators tried to provide bipartisan alternatives.
“They’ve chosen a totally partisan path,” McConnell said. “That’s unfortunate.”
The two parts are very far apart. The cornerstone of the GOP plan is $ 160 billion for the care response: vaccine distribution, a “massive expansion” of testing, protective equipment and money for rural hospitals, similar to what Biden has proposed for specific aid. for the pandemic.
But from there, the two plans diverge drastically. Biden proposes $ 170 billion for schools, compared to the $ 20 billion in the Republican plan. Republicans wouldn’t give a damn about the states either, the money Democrats argue is just as important, with $ 350 billion in Biden’s plan to keep police, firefighters and other workers in the workplace.
GOP $ 1,000 direct payments would go to fewer people – those earning up to $ 40,000 a year, or $ 80,000 for couples. Payments over $ 1,400 from Biden would extend to higher income levels, up to $ 300,000 for some families.
Republicans are offering $ 40 billion in commercial aid from the Payment Check Protection Program. But democratic priorities, such as the gradual raising of the federal minimum wage, have disappeared at $ 15 per hour.
Delaware Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, both Democrats from Biden State, were in the White House Wednesday before and discussed with the president the need for state and local aid and the possibility of reducing who meets the requirements for another round of direct payments.
Coons said he is in talks with Republicans “about what conditions they are willing to increase the amount significantly for some state and local aid.” Without that, he said, it’s a “non-initial”.
Winning the support of ten Republicans would be significant, which could give Biden the votes needed in the Senate 50-50 to reach the 60-vote threshold normally required to advance legislation. Vice President Kamala Harris is the tiebreaker.
But Democrats pushed ahead with Tuesday’s vote, laying the groundwork for eventual approval under the budget conciliation process that would allow the bill to pass with a 51-vote Senate majority.