Bipartisan group lobbies for narrower virus aid bill
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers from both major political parties lobbied White House officials Sunday for a more targeted relief bill as they questioned the need for some of the items included in President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan.
The discussion came on a private Zoom call with key centrist lawmakers of both parties and Biden administration officials led by National Economic Council Director Brian Deese. It was an early test for whether Biden’s relief plan has a chance of getting the kind of support it would need to pass Congress with bipartisan backing.
Lawmakers on the call raised questions including whether a new round of $1,400 checks included in the proposal could be more narrowly targeted to those who need them the most, according to several people involved.
Participants also asked administration officials to justify the need for hundreds of billions allocated for other purposes, including $130 billion for schools, given that Congress has already spent about $4 trillion on the coronavirus relief effort - including $900 billion approved in December.
“There are still a lot of unanswered questions, most notably, how did the administration come up with $1.9 trillion dollars required, given that our figures show that there’s still about $1.8 trillion left to be spent,” said Sen. Susan Collins, RMaine, a leader of the bipartisan group of senators on the call. “We hope to get more data documenting the need from them.”
There was widespread support among the lawmakers for spending on vaccine production and distribution, which several described as by far the highest priority to beat the pandemic and resurrect the faltering economy.
The Zoom call, organized by Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., ran more than an hour. In addition to Deese, it featured Louisa Terrell, the director of legislative affairs, and Jeff Zients, the White House’s covid-19 response coordinator.
“I think it’s important to note that call happened, that this was a genuine, open discussion between top White House staff and a dozen or so senators to try to establish how we move forward on a covid relief package,” said Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats.
People involved said the White House team listened to lawmakers’ concerns and promised to get back to them. A White House official declined to comment on specifics of the call.
The call came with the stimulus package facing criticism from Republicans who say it’s too costly. The lawmakers involved were part of the group that broke through a partisan logjam late last year and helped ensure passage of the $900 billion relief bill in December.
The group includes 16 senators, eight from each side of the aisle. The leaders of the Problem Solvers Caucus in the House also joined Sunday’s call.
In addition to a new round of $1,400 stimulus checks, the proposal includes an increase in and extension of emergency unemployment benefits set to expire in mid-March, and an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. It also includes billions of dollars to assist schools in reopening safely and to boost testing capacity and vaccine manufacturing and distribution.