Washington – Democratic leaders in Congress filed a joint budget resolution on Monday that kicks off the process of passing President Biden’s sweeping coronavirus aid plan without Republican backing, announcing the measure just before a group of 10 Republican senators ready to meet with the president in the White House about their own cadres.
The budget resolution tabled by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is the first step in the budget reconciliation process, which could allow Congress to quickly approve Mr. Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus package by simple majority. The resolution contains reconciliation instructions that specify which congressional committees are responsible for drafting the legislation and how much they can spend. Once both the House and the Senate have passed the resolutions, the committees can start working on the reconciliation proposal.
“Congress has a responsibility to provide prompt and immediate comprehensive assistance to the American people hurt by COVID-19,” Schumer and Pelosi said in a statement. “The cost of inactivity is high and growing, and now is the time for decisive action.”
The instructions direct the relevant House and Senate Panels to come up with language that addresses some of the key provisions in Mr. Biden’s plan, including $ 1,400 direct payments for individuals and an extension of the unemployment insurance program through September at an increase of $ 400 per week. The legislation would also include $ 350 billion for state and local governments, funding to reopen schools, and more money for vaccines, testing and public health programs. The budget resolution calls for federal support in support of the use of the Defense Production Act to boost the production of supplies needed to combat the coronavirus, as well as money for small businesses.
A Democrat-provided summary lacks a provision that increases the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, which was included in Mr. Biden’s package but criticized by Republicans.
“The only thing we cannot accept is a package that is too small or too narrow to get our country out of this emergency,” Schumer said in comments on the Senate floor. “We cannot repeat the 2009 mistake, and we must act very quickly to get this help for those who are so badly needed.”
The New York Democrat said input from Republicans is “welcome.”
“COVID aid should also be the work of Democrats and Republicans alike,” said Schumer.
Approval of an emergency response plan is Mr. Biden’s first legislative priority as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the U.S. economy. While the president insisted he wants bipartisan support for a coronavirus package, Republican senators have objected to the $ 1.9 trillion cost of Mr. Biden’s plan.
On Sunday, a group of 10 Republicans sent the president a letter requesting that they meet and discuss their own cadres, which they said would receive support from Democrats and Republicans alike. With $ 618 billion, the plan is considerably smaller than Mr Biden’s and does not include funds for state and local governments, which has been a sticking point in previous emergency response negotiations.
Nine of the Republicans met with Mr Biden for two hours on Monday. Senator Susan Collins, the group’s leader, called the meeting “ productive ” and said she believed there was still hope for a two-tier deal.
However, the White House said in a reading of the meeting that Mr. Biden “will not settle for a package that is not up to the moment.”