President Joe Biden is open to making some amendments to his trillion-dollar Coronavirus relief package, Politico reports. The outlet claims Biden held a phone meeting with House Democrats, saying he admits he’s amenable to better targeting who the next round of stimulus checks will go to. Though he’s not budging on the $1,400 amount and says he’s serious about making sure the American people receive some form of relief soon. “Let’s stick together, I have your back and I hope you’ll have mine,” Biden said on the call, sources tell Politico.
“I am not going to start by breaking a promise to the American people,” he said. He went on to also address bipartisan concerns of sending out too much money saying, “We can better target the number, I’m OK with that.” There are many politicians in Washington pushing for the new targeted approach in order to lessen the number of high earners receiving assistance; but, with the new approach, a third stimulus check could look very different. The checks could possibly be reduced to less than the $1,400 previously specified –– rendering it closer to the GOP $600 billion plan. Another way of targeting could also change the qualifying maximum limit from $75,000 per individual to $150,000 per married couple. Other options include changing the stimulus check formula and reducing the amount of money offered for dependents.
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Biden reasserts that he’s not lowering the amount to be in the next round of stimulus checks to meet GOP requisites, saying the idea “was never in the cards.” The House will hold a vote later on Wednesday (Feb. 3, 2021) to determine if the democrats can push Biden’s plan through without the help of GOP votes.
The POTUS also met with Senate Democrats for a briefing that reportedly went over an hour long. “We want to do it bipartisan, but we must be strong,” Senator Chuck Schumer told reporters after the meeting, per Politico. “We cannot dawdle, we cannot delay, we cannot dilute, because the troubles that this nation has and the opportunities that we can bring them are so large.” Senator Brian Schatz, who was also involved in the meeting, joined in adding, “I think we’re leaving open the possibility of Republicans working with us but I think the bottom line is we have to deliver.”
