Ten Senate Republicans on Feb. 1 unveiled their $618 billion counterproposal to President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan, which some members of the GOP have panned as an unworkable liberal wishlist.
Biden has proposed $160 billion for vaccines and testing, $170 billion for schools and universities, and funds to give certain Americans a $1,400-per-person stimulus check, among other provisions.
Some Republicans have questioned the overall price tag, while others urged more targeted measures, particularly over the direct payments to individuals.
Congress has approved some $4 trillion in emergency pandemic relief since the start of the pandemic last year, the largest rescue package in American history.
At a cost of $220 billion, Republicans are also proposing a round of $1,000 direct payments to American families, lower than the $1,400 stimulus checks Biden has proposed. The GOP package also proposes $50 billion in aid to small businesses, with $40 billion for the popular Paycheck Protection Program and $10 billion for an economic injury disaster loan facility. The Republicans are also proposing $20 billion in child care grants and $20 billion to reopen schools.
Biden and the group of Republicans are expected to meet on Feb. 1 to chart a way forward in light of competing visions for COVID-19 relief. An invitation to the GOP senators to meet at the White House came hours after the lawmakers sent Biden a letter on Jan. 31 urging him to negotiate rather than try to ram through his relief package solely on Democrat votes.
As a candidate, Biden expected that his decades in the Senate and his eight years as vice president gave him credibility as a dealmaker and would help him bring Republicans and Democrats to consensus on the most important matters facing the country.
But less than two weeks into his presidency, Biden showed frustration with the pace of negotiations at a time when the economy continues to struggle under the strain of the pandemic. Last week, 847,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits, a sign that layoffs remain high.
“I support passing COVID relief with support from Republicans if we can get it. But the COVID relief has to pass—no ifs, ands, or buts,” Biden said on Jan. 29.
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 evenly divided Senate.
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.
