WASHINGTON (CU)_A 10-member group of Senate Republicans held a lengthy meeting with US President Joe Biden on Monday (Feb 1) to discuss the Coronavirus relief legislation.
While Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief package, which the Democratic leaders intend to quickly move through Congress, however, the group of Senate Republicans countered a much narrower $618 billion proposal.
The GOP group led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who urged Biden make good on his campaign promises to seek bipartisan unity, emerged from the meeting sounding upbeat, although no deal was agreed.
“It was a very good exchange of views. I wouldn’t say we came together on a package tonight. No one expected that in a two-hour meeting,” Collins said. “But what we did agree to do is follow up and talk further.”
Just hours before the meeting on Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that they were filing budget bills that can unlock special Senate rules which would allow the relief package to pass with a simple majority vote in the Senate, meaning no Republican votes would be necessary.
They said in a statement that Congress has a responsibility to quickly deliver “immediate comprehensive relief” to Americans who have been affected by the pandemic.
“The cost of inaction is high and growing, and the time for decisive action is now. With this budget resolution, the Democratic Congress is paving the way for the landmark Biden-Harris Coronavirus package that will crush the virus and deliver real relief to families and communities,” the statement read.
Before the meeting began, Biden also in a tweet expressed his support for the proposed relief bill, and called on Congress to pass it “immediately.”
“Hardworking Americans need help and they need it now. That’s why I’m calling on Congress to immediately pass my American Rescue Plan that will deliver direct relief, extend unemployment insurance, help folks put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads, and more,” he tweeted.
However, at the same time, if he does leave Republicans behind on his first major piece of legislation, that would not only make it difficult for Biden to make good on his promise to try to bridge the partisan divides, but will also sour chances for bipartisan legislation for the remainder of his first term in office.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who was among the GOP group said they urged Biden to not proceed via the “budget reconciliation” process which would avoid the need for GOP votes, arguing that this would undercut his calls for unity.
Progressive members of Congress, on the other hand, are pressing Biden not to give in to Republican demands.
“It’s fine to talk to them. As long as he makes it clear that they are the ones standing in the way of more relief checks and aid for frontline workers,” an aide to a prominent lawmaker said. “If the recent elections in Georgia told us anything, it’s that people are desperate for help — as much of it as possible. The reconciliation package is just a baseline. Republicans are only making it harder on themselves in 2022 by standing in the way of needed relief.”
When inquired if the meeting suggested that Biden is committed to making a deal in a bipartisan manner, a White House official pointed to comments made by White House press secretary Jen Psaki during a briefing on Monday.
“We saw this as a good faith proposal they put forward to have a discussion. The president is inviting them here in good faith and we will see where it goes from here,” Psaki said.
However, she insisted that the conversation was not an indication that Biden is willing “to make or accept an offer”. She further noted that Biden’s view on the matter remains that “the risk is not that it is too big, this package, the risk is that it is too small”.
President Biden has said it is imperative for the administration to stand firm on this relief legislation. “We cannot, will not let people go hungry,” the President said on January 22. “We cannot let people be evicted because of nothing they did themselves. … It’s not just to meet the moral obligation to treat our fellow Americans with the dignity and respect they deserve — this is an economic imperative: a growing economic consensus that we must act decisively and boldly to grow the economy for all Americans, not just for tomorrow but in the future.”
