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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowCongressional Democrats said Monday that they are preparing for a go-it-alone strategy on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, with initial votes in the House and Senate as soon as next week—with or without GOP support.
The development came as White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden wants to see action “in the next couple of weeks” on his package, which has run into opposition from a number of Republicans who say it’s too expensive.
The legislation includes a new round of $1,400 stimulus checks, an increase and extension of emergency unemployment benefits set to expire in mid-March, an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments, schools, vaccine production and distribution, increased testing, and more.
Democrats are making plans to use a budgetary tool known as reconciliation, which would allow the package to pass with a simple majority vote in the Senate, instead of the 60 votes normally required for major legislation. This approach could amount to an abandonment of Biden’s calls for bipartisan unity, but many Democrats say the matter is too urgent to wait to craft a bipartisan deal.
The Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, and it’s improbable that Biden’s plan could garner 60 votes in the chamber given the level of GOP opposition.
The first step is for the House and the Senate to pass budget bills that lay out the terms for passing the actual coronavirus relief legislation. House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., said Monday that his committee is in the process of drafting a budget bill and that “we will be prepared to go to the floor as early as next week.”
The Senate is also prepared to vote as early as next week, according to a senior Democrat involved in planning who spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of a public announcement.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been outspoken in favor of using the “budget reconciliation” process, saying on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday: “We’re going to use reconciliation—that is 50 votes in the Senate, plus the vice president—to pass legislation desperately needed by working families in this country right now.”
A number of Senate Democrats have also voiced skepticism about elements of the deal, pressing White House officials on a call Sunday about whether the new round of stimulus checks could be more targeted. That means it could be a struggle for Biden even to unite his own party behind his bill.
But the Senate is set to convene for former president Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on Feb. 9, and Psaki indicated Monday that Biden wanted to see action on his relief bill before then. Reaching agreement on a final package in the next two weeks is not realistic, but passing budget resolutions would at least get the process started.
Psaki also indicated more openness to using the budget reconciliation approach than she has in the past.
“Reconciliation is a means of getting a bill passed. There are a number of means of getting bills passed. That does not mean, regardless of how the bill is passed, that Democrats and Republicans cannot both vote for it,” Psaki said. “So the president obviously wants to make this bipartisan, hence he’s engaging with members of both parties and he remains committed to that.”
“There’s an urgency to moving it forward and he certainly believes there needs to be progress in the next couple of weeks,” Psaki added, describing the mid-March deadline for when unemployment benefits run out as the “unemployment cliff.”
Psaki declined to say what elements of the package Biden would be willing to jettison to get GOP support. Republicans have been particularly resistant to the minimum wage increase, which a number of experts believe would not be able to be included in legislation that passes under reconciliation rules, which prohibit items that do not affect the federal budget.
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They treat money (that we don’t even have) like its water. They have no true understanding of what a $1,000,000,000 is let alone $1,900,000,000,000. It should be considered a criminal act to spend more than we have especially when given to other countries. Best part of all this “stimulus” that has been passed into law? Most if it is for non-coronavirus related items.
Democrats have never and will never use fiscal sensibility when it comes to financial measures.
Where were your complaints about Donald Trump and the GOP creating the largest deficits in history, while our economy was still strong? Typical Republicans. Let’s complain about the defecit that we pretend doesn’t exist until the other party takes over. I’m not saying this isn’t too much money, but don’t pretend the GOP actually cares about the debt. At least the Democrats have the decency to be honest and explain why they don’t care about it. They don’t flip flop on it every time the other party takes over.
Absolutely right Wesley. Republicans deficit complaining falls on deaf ears (except they know if they repeat it enough the uninformed will believe them). Who started the bleeding? Ronald Reagan (Republican) he tripled the deficit. Who famously said “Reagan proved deficits don’t matter”? Bush VP Dick Cheney (Republican). What President have left office with trashed economies that required massive stimulus spending? Bush & Trump (Republicans). Who said the massive tax cuts they passed would pay for themselves but instead added huge amounts to the national debt? Reagan, Bush, Trump (Republicans). Who was the last President to balance the budget? Clinton (Democrat) It is projected that Trump will have increased the deficit by 74% over 4 years, way more than Obama (per Forbes 2/1/20). So Republicans need to look in the mirror when it comes to blaming someone for growth in deficits.
So no review of what’s exactly in the bill? Guess electing our representatives is worthless.
They have to pass it to see what’s in it, Tim; remember? Then they’ll tell us what’s good for us.
WHOA there, Wesley; Obama added more to the National Debt than all the previous administrations COMBINED…and that included the monies needed to build armaments to win two world wars (i.e., something worthwhile). I’m not justifying Trump’s spending (I abhorred it), but let’s dispense with your nonsense hyperbole about Trump creating the largest deficits in history. On that, you have him confused with Obama. (And it was Obama that called the National Debt “criminal” before proceeding to almost triple it in eight years, so enough about the flip-flopping. (That said, we could agree that neither party takes the debt seriously unless campaigning.)
Okay, dudes/es, enough R vs D. Our United States has a three pronged check and balance government. The one government entity that has surpassed its intended purpose is Congress ( house and senate).
Intended to be a citizen legislature has now become a lifetime ‘job’. Please look at the tenure of 25% of those ‘elected’ officials. This group is also the most powerful! Should a citizen body be in power for over 20 years?
The term numbers are true with both parties!!!
When someone becomes a political power versus a citizen legislator, our government exceeds its purpose and becomes too self-serving.
Term limits bring us back to our intended ‘citizen legislature’. Again, look at the tenure and age of congressional leaders.
From a baby boomer…..
Thank you Stephen. As I’ve been saying since the crash of 2008 – fire all career politicians. US voters who don’t want term limits for Congress are fools. The rhetoric that “it’s good for politicians to lots of experience,” or fill in the blank name on either side should continue to be in Congress because they have been there a long time is EXACTLY the problem. From the longest tenured down on all sides should be voted out/term limits/fired. When people say, “you wouldn’t hire a politician as an engineer/pilot/carpenter, so why would you hire a business person or a financial person as a politician”, that’s terrible excuse and proves the voter doesn’t understand the structure, intent, and basis of the USA. Checks and balances don’t exist when the 3rd prong has way more than 33% of the power in Washington. Zero accountability, a blank check book to spend the 47% who actually pay taxes money as if it were their own personal slush fund, and flip flop to whatever a lobbyist or their pretend adversary of the other party is driving towards next. The CARES Act, CARES Act 2, Biden Stimulus, ObamaCare, etc can all be peeled back to confirm enormous pork. As they progressive side says – “never waste a crisis”.
BINGO!