Topline
As President Joe Biden faces resistance from centrist lawmakers on his $1.9 trillion stimulus plan and the White House indicates that it is open to working with Republicans to address their concerns, congressional Democrats are at the same time preparing to push ahead on ambitious relief measures through a special Senate process called budget reconciliation, which would not require any Republican votes for the legislation to pass.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks to reporters during a brief press availability … [+]
Key Facts
Speaking on the Senate floor on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that the Senate is prepared to advance Covid-19 relief even if Republicans do not sign on.
He also told Democrats on a Tuesday caucus call that a vote on a budget resolution that would tee up passage of Biden’s plan using reconciliation rules could come as soon as next week, the Washington Post’s Erica Werner reported.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said Tuesday that Democrats will give Republicans a “very limited time” to come to an agreement on the relief deal, CNN’s Manu Raju reported, and added: “we’ve got to move quickly.”
Meanwhile, Biden’s top economic advisor, Brian Deese, signaled Tuesday that the White House is willing to tweak some aspects of Biden’s proposal in response to criticism from a bipartisan group of lawmakers that the plan is too expensive and suggestions that certain provisions—including a new round of stimulus checks—be more narrowly targeted to keep costs down.
“Certainly, if there are ways to make [the stimulus checks], and other provisions, more effective, that’s something we’re open to,” Deese told CNBC.
President Biden on Monday said the decision to use reconciliation is one reserved for the “leaders of the House and the Senate” but also noted that “time is of the essence” to deliver relief to American families—a signal that he is willing to use the process to push the legislation through if bipartisan overtures fail.
Crucial Quote
“We are prepared to go to the floor as early as next week with the reconciliation resolution,” Rep. John Yarmouth (D-Ky.), chair of the House Budget Committee, told CNN Monday, adding that “negotiations can continue . . . we’d all prefer a bipartisan agreement.”
Chief Critic
“If the House decides to go ahead with the reconciliation approach, which is a way to get around working with Republicans, I think that would be not just a big mistake at this stage at the start of this administration, but irresponsible, given what’s happened with the Covid-19 package,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said Tuesday, according to Punchbowl News.
Big Number
$750 billion to $1.1 trillion. That’s the range analysts from Goldman Sachs expect the next round of federal rescue legislation to be worth—significantly smaller than Biden’s $1.9 trillion ask. Analysts from the investment giant said they still see “considerable uncertainty” with regard to the final price tag.
Tangent
Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a bill to raise the national minimum wage to $15 per hour—a key tenet of Biden’s economic relief proposal (and a reintroduction of a bill that failed to pass the Senate in 2019). Senate Budget Committee chair Bernie Sanders said that while he hopes Republicans will vote to support the bill, he is prepared to use reconciliation to pass it without that party’s buy-in.
Further Reading
White House signals it could agree to more narrowly targeted stimulus checks (CNBC)
Democrats Now Planning For New Stimulus Bill By Mid-March—Here’s What’s Holding It Up (Forbes)
Bernie Sanders Warns Republicans ‘Will Win’ In 2022 Midterms If Democrats Don’t Act Aggressively On Stimulus Now (Forbes)
Biden’s Path To $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Still Unclear As GOP Resists Spending (Forbes)
