Biden and Harris to meet Republican senators to push for Covid aid package – live updates
:format(jpg):extract_cover()/https%3A%2F%2Fi.guim.co.uk%2Fimg%2Fmedia%2Fc2e3f59479f0dbf70618b2575a37d3ed18390aad%2F34_0_5966_3580%2Fmaster%2F5966.jpg%3Fwidth%3D300%26quality%3D85%26auto%3Dformat%26fit%3Dmax%26s%3D46e242e2971f60ed3141657d825a83f1)
The planned meeting comes even as Democrats prepare to move forward this week to set up a partisan path for Biden’s relief bill, which Republicans have dismissed as overly costly.
The Republican proposal jettisons certain elements that have drawn opposition, such as increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
It would also reduce the size of a new round of checks from $1,400 per individual to $1,000 — while significantly reducing the income limits that determine eligibility.
A $600 billion plan that is a fraction of the size of Biden’s proposal is unlikely to draw much Democratic support. However, the GOP offer presents a challenge for Biden, who campaigned on promises of bipartisanship and must decide whether to rebuff the overture or make a genuine effort to find common ground across the aisle.
“We want to work in good faith with you and your administration to meet the health, economic and societal challenges of the covid crisis,” the Republican lawmakers wrote, adding they were responding to his “calls for unity.”
No comments:
Post a Comment