The Senate on Tuesday took its first major step toward passing President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. In a 50-49 vote strictly down party lines, the chamber voted to advance a budget resolution, which could speed COVID-19 aid through Congress. All 50 Senate Democrats voted to progress the package through Congress without Republican support, with all 49 Republicans voting against the resolution, a motion that had “No Republicans” trending on Twitter. A subsequent vote in the House of Representatives also favored pushing the budget measure forward, with a vote of 216-210, according to CNBC.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed that Congress is “not going to dilute, dither, or delay” and said, “We welcome cooperation. There is nothing about the process of a budget resolution or reconciliation, for that matter, that forecloses the possibility of bipartisanship.” He said, “Time is a luxury our country does not have,” later adding that Democrats “want this important work to be bipartisan” and would welcome input from Republicans.
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The Tuesday vote came after Biden met with a group of Republican senators Monday to discuss the next relief package. While Biden and most Democrats are calling for a broad aid package that includes everything from $1,400 stimulus payments, funding for state and local governments, an extension of emergency unemployment programs, and increased federal minimum wage, among many other things, Republicans wish to see a much smaller, much more scaled-back proposal make its way through Congress. They have proposed a second offer, totaling just over $600 billion, which would cap stimulus payments at $1,000 and only be allocated to those making less than $50,000 a year, forego funding for state and local governments, which they believe is not needed, and keep the current federal jobless aid at the same amount only through June.
This package was reportedly discussed during the Monday meeting. During the meeting, the president “expressed his hope that the group could continue to discuss ways to strengthen” the White House plan, press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. Biden also reportedly reiterated that “he will not slow down work on this urgent crisis response, and will not settle for a package that fails to meet the moment.”
Following that meeting, and ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Schumer said Biden told a Senate Democratic caucus call he is “totally on board” with using reconciliation. Biden also said he told Republicans their proposal was “way too small.”
