Washington – A group of 10 Republican senators will meet with President Biden on Monday to propose an alternate COVID-19 aid package as the White House and Congressional Democrats prepare to move forward with the $ 1.9 trillion plan from Mr Biden, with or without GOP support.
The GOP group, led by Senator Susan Collins, wrote to Mr. Biden on Sunday requesting a meeting, and the White House quickly invited a meeting with the president for a “full discussion.”
“We appreciate the president’s prompt response to our letter, and we are pleased to accept his invitation to the White House tomorrow afternoon to discuss the way forward for the sixth bipartisan COVID-19 aid package,” the group said.
The bid from Republican senators totals about $ 618 billion, or less than a third of the size of the package Mr. Biden is seeking, according to a summary of the proposal released Monday. The plan calls for $ 160 billion for vaccine development and distribution, and for testing and tracking, $ 132 billion for comprehensive unemployment benefits, and $ 220 billion for another round of direct payments.
Under the proposal, individuals making less than $ 40,000 would receive $ 1,000 direct payments, and couples filing jointly would receive $ 80,000. The checks will expire for those who earn more than $ 40,000, while no one more than $ 50,000 is eligible for payment. There would also be an additional $ 500 paid for each dependent child or adult.
Extended unemployment benefits total $ 300 per week on top of state benefits and were expected to last through June. Mr. Biden has proposed to extend these benefits through September.
“In the spirit of duality and unity, we have developed a COVID-19 emergency response framework that builds on previous COVID assistance laws, all passed with bipartisan support,” the group wrote in its letter to Mr Biden. “Our proposal reflects many of your stated priorities, and with your support, we believe that this plan could be quickly approved by Congress with the support of two parties. We invite you to meet for the opportunity to discuss our proposal in more detail. and how we can work together to meet the needs of the American people during this ongoing pandemic. ”
The group of Republican senators is hoping their package can be a starting point for a bill that gains bipartisan support as Congressional Democrats prepare to move forward with a process known as budget reconciliation to pass Mr. Biden’s plan by simple majority in the Senate.
In the past week, Senate Republicans have done just that criticized the $ 1.9 trillion price tag on Mr. Biden’s proposal and specifically the formula for splitting another round of cash out direct payments. Ohio Senator Rob Portman, one of the letter’s signatories, said in an interview with CNN on Sunday that direct payments would be more targeted in their proposal.
Senators who signed the letter include Collins, Portman, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, 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 North Carolina.
The GOP group will release more details of its proposal on Monday.
Eight of the signatories were part of a bipartisan group of senators spoke last week with Brian Deese, Mr Biden’s chief economic adviser, on the government’s coronavirus relief package. Deese said on Sunday that the White House planned to revise the latest letter, indicating that the president is willing to meet with the group but is unwilling to compromise on the core provisions of his aid package.
“The president has said repeatedly that he is open to ideas wherever they go, that we can improve the approach to actually address this crisis,” Deese said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “What he is uncompromising about is the need to move quickly with an all-encompassing approach here … So we have to act comprehensively and we have to act quickly, but we will continue to have discussions as we move forward.”
Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser to the president, echoed Deese’s comments: CBS ‘Face the Nation’ on Sunday that Mr Biden is “ready to meet someone” to help the process move forward.
“The president said in his inauguration address that he wanted to work with both sides to help the American people,” Richmond said on Sunday. “What we know about President Biden is that it’s never about him, it’s always about the people. So yes, he is very willing to meet with everyone to move the agenda forward. ‘