Biden tells lawmakers to ‘go big’ on aid

WASHINGTON » President Joe Biden told Democratic lawmakers Wednesday that he’s “not married” to an absolute number on his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue plan, but Congress needs to “act fast” on relief for the pandemic and the economic crisis.

Biden also said he doesn’t want to budge from his proposed $1,400 in direct payments promised to Americans. But he said he is willing to “target” the aid, which would mean lowering the income threshold to qualify for the money.

“Look, we got a lot of people hurting in our country today,” Biden said. “We need to act. We need to act fast.”

Biden said, “I’m not going to start my administration by breaking a promise to the American people.”

He spoke with House Democrats and followed with a meeting at the White House with top Senate Democrats, deepening his public engagements with lawmakers on pandemic aid and an economic recovery package. Together they are his first legislative priority and a test of the administration’s ability to work with Congress to deliver.

Biden’s remarks to the Democratic House caucus were relayed by two people who requested anonymity to discuss the private conference call.

While Biden is trying to build bipartisan support from Republicans, he is also prepared to rely on the Democratic majority in Congress to push his top agenda item into law. Objecting to the president’s package as excessive, Republicans proposed a $618 billion alternative with slimmer $1,000 direct payments and zero aid for states and cities. But Biden panned the GOP package as insufficient even as he continues private talks with Republicans on potential areas of compromise.

In his meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and 10 top Senate Democrats in the Oval Office, the president expressed confidence that the relief package would still win over GOP votes and be bipartisan.

“I think we’ll get some Republicans,” he said at the start of the meeting.

With a rising virus death toll and strained economy, the goal is to have COVID-19 relief approved by March, when extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid measures expire. Money for vaccine distributions, direct payments to households, school reopenings and business aid are at stake.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the president fully recognizes the final package may look different than the one he initially proposed.