GOP responds to Biden’s relief package
Ten Republican senators issued an open letter to President Joe Biden on Sunday asking to discuss a COVID-19 relief package the group believes will get bipartisan support in Congress.
The proposal came after Biden offered a $1.9 trillion package and as many Democrats seek expediency with another round of stimulus.
“Our proposal reflects many of your stated priorities, and with your support we believe that this plan could be approved by Congress with bipartisan support,” the joint letter says.
The group is composed of Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, West Virginia’s Shelley Moore Capito, Maine’s Susan Collins, Kansas’ Jerry Moran, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Ohio’s Rob Portman, Utah’s Mitt Romney, North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, South Dakota’s Michael Rounds and Indiana’s Todd Young.
The senators say that they “share (Biden’s) goal of providing additional assistance for our small businesses” and that “getting our children back to school and making sure that schools are able to stay open safely are priorities we strongly support.”
The letter does not include a price tag for the proposal, which comes after many GOP senators and some moderate Democrats balked at the proposed package advocated for by the White House and several Senate Democrats.
“I would say that it was not clear to me how the administration came up with its $1.9 trillion figure for the package,” Collins said. “The administration clearly is very eager to move very quickly. And we want to make sure that there is justification, especially since there’s so much money remaining from the previous packages.”
The letter cites Collins’ proposal, saying funds in December’s $900 billion coronavirus relief package have not yet been exhausted; some funding from last March has also not been depleted.
Some moderate Democrats, including Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, have advocated for more targeted aid to individuals, state and local governments, as well as small businesses.
“We want to help everyone that needs help,” he said. “But if a person’s making $250,000 or $300,000, I don’t think they’re in much as need as a person making $40,000 or $50,000. That’s all I said. We’re going to target.”
Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Biden have expressed interest in a bipartisan package but said they won’t pursue Republican votes at the expense of an effective package.
“Our preference is to make this important work bipartisan, to include input, ideas and revisions from our Republican colleagues,” Schumer said. “But if our Republican colleagues decide to oppose this urgent and necessary legislation, we will have to move forward without them.”
The Republican senators, citing Biden’s calls for unity, said their proposal would be an opportunity to work in a bipartisan manner.