Dems to ‘act big’ on $1.9T aid; GOP wants plan split

WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress and the White House on Thursday rejected a Republican pitch to split President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue plan into smaller chunks, with lawmakers appearing primed to muscle sweeping economic and virus aid forward without GOP help.

Despite Biden’s calls for unity, Democrats said the stubbornly high unemployment numbers and a battered U.S. economy leave them unwilling to waste time courting Republican support that might not materialize. They also don’t want to curb the size and scope of a package they say will provide desperately needed money to distribute the vaccine, reopen schools, and send cash to American households and businesses.

Biden has been appealing directly to Republican and Democratic lawmakers, while signaling his priority to press ahead.

“We’ve got a lot to do, and the first thing we’ve got to do is get this COVID package passed,” Biden said Thursday in the Oval Office.

The standoff over Biden’s first legislative priority is turning the new rescue plan into a political test — of his new administration, of Democratic control of Congress and of Republicans’ role in a post-Trump political landscape.

Success would give Biden a signature accomplishment in his first 100 days in office, unleashing $400 billion to expand vaccinations and reopen schools, $1,400 direct payments to households, and such other priorities as a gradual increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Failure would be a high-profile setback early in his presidency.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are laying groundwork to start the go-italone approach as soon as next week.

They are drafting a budget reconciliation bill that would start the process to pass the relief package with a simple 51-vote Senate majority, rather than the 60-vote threshold typically needed. The goal is passage by March, when jobless benefits, housing assistance and other aid is set to expire.