■ Democrats proposed additional $1,400 direct payments to individuals.
Proposal in Congress largely follows Biden’s
WASHINGTON — Democrats on a pivotal House panel on Monday proposed an additional $1,400 in direct payments to individuals as Congress began piecing together a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that largely follows President Joe Biden’s proposal for battling the pandemic and reviving a still-staggering economy.
The proposal by the Ways and Means Committee, which plans to vote on its measure by week’s end, would expand tax credits for families with children, for lower-earning people and for Americans who buy health insurance on marketplaces created by former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. It would also provide health care subsidies for some unemployed workers.
Monday’s unveiling by Ways and Means of its piece of the package — at over $900 billion, nearly half of Biden’s entire plan — came with Congress’ Democratic leaders hoping to rush the legislation to the president for his signature by mid-march, when previously provided emergency unemployment benefits expire.
The House Education and Labor Committee also previewed its plans Monday, a roughly $350 billion package that includes $130 billion to help schools reopen safely, $40 billion for colleges battered by the pandemic and a plan to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Democrats have only narrow majorities in both chambers. Besides Republican opposition that could be unanimous, Democrats will have to satisfy party members who worry about a package that goes too far and progressives eager to push Biden and the party as far left as they can.
In one area that could become a battleground within the party, the Ways and Means Democrats proposed limiting the full $1,400 relief payments to individuals making $75,000 or less, and phasing them out until they end completely at $100,000. Couples who make $150,000 or less would be entitled to $2,800 relief payments, which would gradually diminish and fully disappear for those earning $200,000.