Washington – The group of 10 Republican senators seeking to negotiate a new round of COVID-19 relief with President Biden revealed the details of their proposal on Monday, hours before lawmakers are known. ready to meet with the president in the White House.
The group’s proposal, led by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, totals about $ 618 billion, or about a third of the size of the $ 1.9 trillion plan put forward by the president and Democratic leaders in the United States. Congress has been proposed. The group’s counter-proposal comes as congressional Democrats prepare to move forward with the government-proposed plan, with or without GOP backing.
“Mr. President, we recognize your call for unity and want to work in good faith with your government to address the health, economic and societal challenges of the COVID crisis,” the senators said in a joint statement. “We look forward to discussing our proposal in detail with you at the White House this afternoon.”
The GOP plan calls for a new round stimulus controls paid directly to the taxpayer, but would limit the income levels of those eligible to do so at a lower level than previous rounds of support. Individuals who earn less than $ 40,000 receive $ 1,000, while the amount is tapered for those who earn between $ 40,000 and $ 50,000.
Couples filing jointly would receive double that amount, with the amount tapered for those making more than $ 80,000, to $ 100,000. Each dependent child and adult would be paid an additional $ 500. Previous rounds of direct payments were based on earnings reported on tax returns for 2019. Mr. Biden’s plan calls for $ 1,400 checks for most low- and middle-income earners.
The proposal would also extend the federal unemployment insurance extension to $ 300 a week until June 30, on top of state benefits. Mr. Biden has requested an extension of the unemployment benefit of $ 400 per week until September.
The plan includes $ 160 billion for a national vaccine program, personal protective equipment manufacturing and extensive testing, as well as a $ 40 billion injection into the Paycheck Protection Program to provide loans to small businesses. It would also allocate $ 20 billion to an initiative to get children back to school, and extend extended SNAP benefits through September at a cost of $ 3 billion.
The GOP proposal does not include funds allocated to state and local governments, and does not mention raising the federal minimum wage, both of which are major priorities in the administration’s package.
Senators who signed the bill include Collins, Rob Portman of Ohio, 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. from South Dakota and Thom Tillis from North Carolina.
Mr. Biden plans to meet with the group on Monday to discuss the proposal and plan of his administration. The White House said the president is open to a “full exchange of ideas.”
Ed O’Keefe contributed to reporting.