US President Joe Biden has admonished Democratic lawmakers to “act fast” on his $1.9 trillion COVID rescue plan insisting that he is not going to start his administration “by breaking a promise to the American people.”
The President signalled he’s open to changes, including limiting the proposed $1,400 direct payments to Americans with lower income levels, which could draw Republican support.
President Biden also told the House Democrats that he’s “not married” to an absolute number for the overall package but wants them to “go big” on pandemic relief and “restore the soul of the country.”
“Look, we got a lot of people hurting in our country today. We need to act. We need to act fast.”
On the direct payments, the President said he doesn’t want to budge from the $1,400 promised to Americans. But he acknowledged he is willing to “target” the aid, which would mean lowering the income threshold to qualify.
“I’m not going to start my administration by breaking a promise to the American people,” he said.
The meeting with House Democrats comes as the President steps up his public engagements with lawmakers on pandemic aid and an economic recovery package.
While President Biden is trying to build bipartisan support from Republicans, he has also signalled that he is prepared to rely on the Democratic majority in Congress to push his topmost agenda item into law with or without opposition’s support.
The Republican lawmakers have described the President’s package as excessive. Earlier this week, some Republican senators pitched a $618bn alternative to the President at the White House, which was rejected for being insufficient.
President Biden told them he won’t delay aid in hopes of winning Republican support but is reportedly continuing private talks with Republican senators on potential areas of compromise.
Meeting later with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and top Senate Democrats in the Oval Office, the President also expressed confidence that the relief would still win over GOP votes and be bipartisan.
“I think we’ll get some Republicans,” he said at the start of the meeting.
The President’s goal is to have COVID-19 relief approved by March, when extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid measures expire. Money for vaccine distributions, direct payments to households, schools reopening and business aid are at stake.
House Democrats were also told by the President that they could be flexible on some numbers and programmes, and could “better target” the direct payments, but should not back down on the size or scope of the aid.
“We have to go big, not small,” Biden told the Democrats. “I’ve got your back, and you’ve got mine.”
President Biden is emphasizing the need not to forget working and middle-class families — “those nurses and pipefitters making $150,000 for a family of four.”
The two sides are far apart. The basis of the Republican plan is $160bn for the healthcare response: vaccine distribution, a “massive expansion” of testing, protective gear and money for rural hospitals — similar to what President Biden has proposed for aid specific to the pandemic.
But from there, the two plans are very different. President Biden proposes $170bn for schools, compared with $20bn in the Republican plan. Republicans also would give nothing to states, money that Democrats argue is just as important, with $350bn in Biden’s plan to keep police, firefighters and other workers on the job.
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