President Biden and Democrats indicate they will move forward with a $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill by using special budget rules to dodge a GOP filibuster.
A day after Biden held a meeting in the White House with 10 Republican senators who supported moving a much smaller package, Biden convened a meeting of Senate Democrats and urged them to grow up and move quickly.
While being “big” doesn’t rule out any agreement between the White House and Republicans, it suggests Biden wants to move forward with a much larger package that even centrist Republicans say they could support despite the president’s statements. who also wants to unify Washington and work with Republicans.
Biden met Monday in the White House with a group of ten Republican senators, including one per conference call, leaving several of them with the impression that it could curb a Democratic effort to speed up a partisan relief package in Congress to give more time in bipartisan negotiations.
But on Tuesday, his message to Senate Democrats at a lunchtime conference call was clear: Grow up and move quickly on a COVID-19 aid bill.
“President Biden spoke of the need for Congress to respond boldly and quickly. He insisted a lot on the need for a big, bold package. He said he told Republicans in the Senate that the $ 600 billion they proposed was too small, “the Senate majority leader said. Charles Schumer
Chuck Schumer: Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick is in honor of the Rotunda Democrat resolution denouncing white supremacists before the Trump trial. (DN.Y.) told reporters after the Democratic meeting.
The Secretary of the Treasury supported the President Janet Yellen
Janet Louise Yellen: On The Money: Biden calls Dems and urges big COVID bill | SEC’s choice of Biden offside as the GameStop drama unfolds Bezos is stepping down, while Senate Democrats, Amazon’s CEO, are taking the first step toward the big COVID-19 bill. A board of public officials in the incoming administration: listen to KISS MORE, who warned that an assistance bill closer to the $ 618 billion proposed by the 10 Republican Party Republicans could leave the economy struggling for years to fully recover.
Schumer said Biden and Yellen agree with him and Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiSchiff puts pressure on Newsom to be named California AG: reports that Biden pays tribute to future Capitol police officer Sicknick Greene fallen on House committees after GOP meeting MORE (D-California) that if Congress settled for a smaller relief bill, “we would be embroiled in the COVID crisis for years.”
But Republicans argue that the centerpiece of Biden’s plan – a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour – could hurt the economy and have a powerful ally in the Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinProgressives goes to Manchin, Cinema with the new PAC Manchin warns against the Democratic-only coronavirus relief bill On The Money: Biden calls Dems and urges big bill COVID | SEC’s choice of Biden offside as the GameStop drama unfolds Bezos resigns as CEO of Amazon MORE (DW.Va.), which announced Tuesday that it does not support raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15.
His. Susan Collins
Susan Margaret CollinsManchin backs budget reconciliation for relief bill, but with a warning Head of Interception Office: Schumer to hold firm COVID-19 aid to prevent primaries The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Biden, GOP senators begin talks; The others move MORE (R-Maine), which hosted Monday’s GOP meeting with Biden, says a minimum wage increase should be moved separately.
“It is not relevant either for treatment or for economic recovery or for eliminating vaccines,” he said Tuesday. “In fact, it would be very difficult for the hospitality industry, which has been especially hurt.”
Manchin said Tuesday he wants to set the federal minimum wage at a “responsible and reasonable” level. He said it would be $ 11 an hour, adjusted for inflation, in West Virginia.
Schumer needs the 50 members of his caucus to unite to pass a budget resolution setting out the special track to pass a COVID relief bill with a simple majority vote later in the year.
Manchin voted Tuesday with 49 other members of the Democratic conference to advance the budget resolution, but warned that any assistance bill that passes under the budget conciliation rules to avoid an obstacle must be objective and have contributions. substantial of Republican colleagues.
“I will vote to move forward with the budget process because we have to deal with the urgency of the COVID-19 crisis. But make it clear – these are words I shared with President Biden – our focus must be on the COVID-19 crisis and the Americans who have been hardest hit by this pandemic, “Manchin said in a statement. .
Manchin, whose vote is crucial to passing Biden’s highest legislative priority with a simple majority, declined to say the big package he is willing to support.
“I can’t tell you where the right numbers are, but when you have a good bipartisan input you can debate and debate, that’s when you get a good program,” he said.
Biden will have to balance these competing factions on Capitol Hill to preserve his reputation as a pragmatic leader willing to work with the opposition while keeping his base happy.
Several of the Republican Party senators who met with Biden thought after the meeting that he could try to stop Schumer and Pelosi from moving forward with a $ 1.9 trillion party relief package.
“He said in his next talks he should talk to Schumer and Pelosi and see where they can go, but when it comes to negotiating in good faith, he is willing to listen to this proposal and see what he can do, even if it is try passing a fast bill like this and then addressing the other things later, “said a Senate government aide who was briefed on the meeting, referring to the possibility of passing a bill. smaller bipartisan relief with Republican Party votes before Democrats passed a larger partisan bill with 51 votes under budget conciliation.
Other Republicans in the room with Biden Monday had the clear impression that the president could agree to move a bipartisan package out of the complicated budget conciliation process. This path would require collecting 10 Republican Party votes to gather the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster.
“Clearly that’s what we encourage,” the senator said. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann Murkowski The 12:30 Hill’s Report: Biden Tests GOP Negotiation Skills at Today’s COVID Relief Meeting GOP Senators Present 8 billion Coronavirus Proposals Ahead of Biden Meeting Biden will meet Monday with GOP MORE senators (R-Alaska) which was at Monday’s meeting. “There was an exchange of views, but also the promise to exchange some of our sources and data and take advantage of it 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 and we’ll find out how we’re going to move forward here.’ of our discussions, ”he said.
Asked if Biden indicated he would be willing to ask Democratic leaders to give the bipartisan talks enough time to reach an agreement, Murkowski said: “He has understood us clearly, he knows clearly, he understands what it means to be trying to dealing with an agreement and needing some space. “
But at the same time, Murkowski said the president “also feels quite clear about the desire of the Democratic leadership and what they want to do” to immediately introduce a major bill.
“He told us we had people on the other side who felt strongly that they didn’t want to wait for Republican deals,” he added.
His. Thom Tillis
Thomas (Thom) Roland Tillis Hill’s Report 12:30: Biden Tests GOP Negotiation Skills at Today’s COVID Relief Meeting GOP Senators Present 8,000 Million Coronavirus Proposal Before Biden meeting Monday, Biden meeting with GOP MORE senators (RN.C.) said that “on some of the key issues, whether it’s individual assistance payments, some of the things we’re talking about for state funding, I was in an honest position to be willing to talk about it “.
Tillis said Biden “said he was working with his majority” and warned that “every step he takes towards us could cost votes on the other side.”
“I think he wants to produce a result,” he added.
“We talked about what things we could go on and win by consensus, because time is of the essence. If you think about it, if we get into it [budget] vote-to-branch this week and then move on to dismissal, it could be March before some of those priority items are sent to your desk, ”Tillis said.
He said he believes Biden is open to moving a smaller bipartisan package before Democrats introduce a larger bill under budget conciliation.
But other Republicans had a less optimistic note from Monday’s meeting.
“I had the impression that he was trying to be friendly and trying to let us know that he appreciated the fact that we had been contacted,” the senator said. Mike Rounds
Mike Rounds: Democratic Senate Takes First Step Towards Big Bill COVID-19 The Hill’s Report at 12:30: Biden Tests GOP Negotiation Skills at Today’s COVID Relief Meeting GOP senators present 8 billion coronavirus proposals ahead of Biden MORE meeting (RS.D.), who attended the meeting by telephone. “To be honest, I felt like I thought if I could do it without Republicans I was more than willing to do it.”
Asked if Biden is open to breaking his package, moving a bipartisan bill separate from the reconciliation process, Rounds said, “I didn’t hear it.”
Another Republican senator who met with Biden on Monday said the president seems “conflicted” between working with moderate Republican Party senators and simply swindling his own $ 1.9 billion plan through Congress through budget reconciliation.
“I think he is probably in conflict. I think he really wants to work with us and his advisers and the Democrats here say, ‘Don’t even try.’
His. Shelley Moore Understood
Shelley Wellons Moore CapitoBiden convenes Democrats and urges big COVID-19 relief bill, GOP senators present 8 billion coronavirus proposal ahead of Biden meeting Monday, Biden meeting with GOP senators MORE MORE (RW.Va.) agreed Tuesday that Biden seems 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 consequences of the comments from how his spokesperson and I think there was someone else who commented on it from his office, I felt like he had liked that this was over and we’re moving forward, ”he said.
– Contributed by Jordain Carney.