US Democrats Take First Step To Go It Alone on Biden’s COVID-19 Aid
Democrats in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday took the first step toward fast-tracking President Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill without Republican support. The Senate voted along party lines, with…
Democrats in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday took the first step toward fast-tracking President Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill without Republican support.
The Senate voted along party lines, with Democrats edging out Republicans 50-49, to open debate on a fiscal 2021 budget resolution with coronavirus aid spending instructions. Using this strategy unlocks a legislative tool needed for Democrats to enact Biden’s package in the face of Republican opposition.
Republicans have pushed back on Biden’s $1.9 trillion price tag, which follows $4 trillion in COVID-19 aid last year.
The Democratic president, who took office on Jan. 20, told Democratic senators in an online luncheon meeting on Tuesday that although he was willing to make some modifications to his proposal, a Senate Republican counter-proposal was inadequate.
On Monday, Biden met with 10 Senate Republicans to discuss their scaled-back $618 billion plan. “He (Biden) said that he told Senate Republicans that the $600 billion that they proposed was way too small,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters.
“We’re off to a totally partisan start,” Republican leader Mitch McConnell told reporters.
The pandemic has killed nearly 444,000 people in the United States.
‘WE THINK THAT’S WHAT IT’S GOING TO TAKE’
Jared Bernstein, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said on Tuesday that the Republican proposal fell far short in a number of areas, including funding to reopen schools. Republicans called for spending $20 billion on schools, compared with Biden’s proposal for $170 billion.