Now is the time for bipartisan COVIDrelief compromise

Early in a new presidency, the chief executive often faces an opportunity to choose bipartisanship or simply ram through an initiative if he or she has the votes in Congress.

President Biden’s seminal moment came Monday afternoon, during a meeting at the White House with 10 Republican senators who offered support for a coronavirus aid package about a third the size of the new president’s $1.9 trillion proposal.

“The president has been clear, since long before he came into office, that he is open to engaging with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress about their ideas. And this is an example of doing exactly that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. It was a refreshing tone after four years of hyper-partisanship under Trump’s administration.

Following the two-hour meeting, Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins credited the president with spending so much time with the GOP delegation. She indicated she hopes the dialogue would continue; meanwhile the White House called the meeting substantive and productive.

Those are all good signs. But Democrats and Republicans alike want to see the next COVID-relief package passed by Congress as soon as possible. Consider the extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid expires in March.

Both the Republican group’s $618 billion proposal and Biden’s $1.9 trillion package focus on the pandemic’s health effects, such as $160 billion to shore up the nation’s vaccine distribution and a “massive expansion” of virus testing, as well as stimulus checks for individuals, $50 billion for small businesses and continued unemployment checks.

Biden’s proposal would also allocate $350 billion to states and local governments to keep police, fire and other publicsector workers on the job, and increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

As for stimulus checks, Biden’s plan would provide $1,400 direct payments, with couples earning up to $150,000 receiving $2,800 while the Republican proposal is more targeted with $1,000 direct payments going to individuals earning less than $40,000. Individuals earning up to $50,000 would receive smaller checks. And couples earning up to $80,000 would receive $2,000.

Congressional Democrats are vowing to push on, with or without GOP support, to pass Biden’s bill in its entirety. And they are opting for the reconciliation process — a parliamentary process that won’t depend on Republican support for passage.

That would be a misstep. A little bit of bipartisanship now could help Biden walk that unity talk, and it could get relief in the pockets of those who need it most more quickly.

There are multiple areas where both sides already agree. The president needs to push now for a compromise that can be viewed as a short-term package — one that provides immediate relief to those who need it most and money for getting the vaccines into the arms of Americans.

And Congressional Democrats and Republicans both need to give a little. That could include Republicans agreeing to provide some money for local governments, Democrats approving more targeted stimulus checks and the two sides compromising on the details of unemployment checks.

Other aspects of Biden’s ambitious $1.9 trillion proposal, such as the $15-an-hour, phased-in minimum wage, can be debated later, and if Democrats decide at that point to start the reconciliation process, so be it. Biden campaigned on the theme of unifying the nation; starting the reconciliation process before trying to negotiate a targeted relief package would do just the opposite.

The Congressional Budget Office said Monday employment rates won’t return to pre-pandemic levels for several years. Several years can be an eternity for those looking for work. 2020 already seems like it lasted much longer than 12 months. And last week, 847,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits. The hurt is still out there.

As a candidate, Biden said his decades in the Senate and his eight years as vice president give him credibility as a dealmaker and would help him bring Republicans and Democrats to consensus on the most important matters facing the country. The occasion has arisen. The course of the nation, or at least the tone in Washington, D.C., could be foretold by this week’s negotiations.