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Joe Biden discuss US Republicans’ $618bn COVID relief proposal

United States President Joe Biden is set to meet on Monday with a group of 10 Republican senators who have proposed $618bn in coronavirus relief, about a third of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking as congressional Democrats are poised to move ahead without Republican support.

The Republicans propose slimmer benefits, including $1,000 in direct payments to individuals earning up to $40,000 a year, or $80,000 for couples, according to a draft obtained by The Associated Press.

Joe Biden discuss US Republicans’ $618bn COVID relief proposal

The proposal would begin to phase out the benefit after that, with no payments for those individuals earning more than $50,000, or $100,000 for couples. That’s less than Biden’s proposal for $1,400 direct payments at higher income levels.

The cornerstone of the GOP plan appears to be $160bn for the healthcare response — vaccine distribution, a “massive expansion” of testing, protective gear and funds for rural hospitals, according to the draft.

Other elements of the package are similar but come at far lesser amounts, with $20bn to reopen schools and $40bn for Paycheck Protection Program business aid.

An invitation to the GOP senators to meet at the White House came hours after the lawmakers sent Biden a letter on Sunday urging him to negotiate rather than try to ram through his relief package solely on Democratic votes.

The House and Senate are on track to vote as soon as this week on a budget resolution, which would lay the groundwork for passing an aid package under rules requiring only a simple majority vote in the closely divided Senate.

The goal is to pass the legislation by March when extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid is set to expire. The meeting to be hosted by Biden would amount to the most public involvement for the president in the negotiations for the next round of virus relief. Democratic and Republican lawmakers are far apart in their proposals for assistance.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that Biden had spoken with the leader of the group, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine. Though Biden wants “a full exchange of views,” Psaki reiterated that the president remains in favour of moving forward with a far-reaching relief package.

“With the virus posing a grave threat to the country, and economic conditions grim for so many, the need for action is urgent, and the scale of what must be done is large,” Psaki said.

In challenging Biden to fulfil his pledge of unity, the group said in its letter that its counterproposal will include $160bn for vaccines, testing, treatment and personal protective equipment and call for more targeted relief than Biden’s plan to issue $1,400 stimulus cheques for most Americans.

Winning the support of 10 Republicans would be significant for Biden in the 50-50 Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris is the tie-breaker. If all Democrats were to back an eventual compromise bill, the legislation would reach the 60-vote threshold necessary to overcome potential blocking efforts and pass under regular Senate procedures.
“In the spirit of bipartisanship and unity, we have developed a COVID-19 relief framework that builds on prior COVID assistance laws, all of which passed with bipartisan support,” the Republican senators wrote. “Our proposal reflects many of your stated priorities, and with your support, we believe that this plan could be approved quickly by Congress with bipartisan support.”

The plea for Biden to give bipartisan negotiations more time comes as the president has shown signs of impatience as the more liberal wing of his party considers passing the relief package through a process known as budget reconciliation. That would allow the bill to advance with only the backing of his Democratic majority.

The Republicans did not provide many details of their proposal. One of the signatories, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, said that it would cost about $600bn.

“If you can’t find bipartisan compromise on COVID-19, I don’t know where you can find it,” said Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who also signed the letter.

But even as Biden extended the invitation to the Republican lawmakers, Psaki said that $1,400 relief cheques, substantial funding for reopening schools, aid to small businesses and hurting families, and more “is badly needed.”