Democratic and Republican congressmen have begun negotiations with the new Administration chaired by Joe Biden on the economic aid project promoted by the White House against the crisis of the coronavirus pandemic, asking for details and questioning some of the aid included in the package, of 1.9 trillion dollars in total.
Legislators and White House officials, led by the director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, held a call on Sunday, according to The Washington Post, in what was
the first test
of Biden's intention to achieve a bipartisan agreement.
One of the congressional questions at the meeting was whether the president's new aid checks, worth $ 1,400, could be directed
at specific groups
, several people who participated in the meeting told the newspaper, rather than to the entire population of the country.
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Using the pattern that was followed in previous check issues, families earning less than $ 75,000 a year receive the full amount, while the rest receive an amount proportional to their income.
However, the amount also varies according to the number of children.
Some congressmen say that the calculation can make a family that makes 300,000 a year with several children still receive some benefit.
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"At least in my state, if you have a household of five with an income of more than $ 300,000, it is unlikely that the pandemic has hurt you financially," said Collins, a Republican senator from Maine.
"While low-income workers and small businesses in the hospitality industry have been devastated," he added.
The press secretary, Jen Psaki, recalled this Monday that
the proposal is not final but rather a starting point for negotiation
, so changes are expected.
He also acknowledged that conversations with members of both parties have already begun "privately."
Several advisers told CNN that Sunday's call was
a good first step
, but there is still broad disagreement over the total amount of the stimulus package, and the distribution of the funds.
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The spending to be borne by the public purse is usually a point of conflict over Republican calls to limit the deficit.
A month ago, Congress approved another relief plan for 900,000 million and the discussions about the amount took six months, although it is true that in between the elections were crossed.
Congressmen on Sunday asked White House officials for justifications for some funds, such as the $ 130 billion requested for schools.
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"
Every dollar we are talking about here is being borrowed from our grandchildren
," Independent Senator Angus King of Maine explained to The Washington Post.
Senator Susan Collins noted that there is still $ 1.8 million to be spent from the already approved stimulus package.
"We hope to get more data to document the need they pose," said Collins, one of the more moderate Republicans.
One of the points with the greatest support was the
funds for the production and distribution of vaccines,
now that the country accumulates more than 25 million confirmed cases and 420,000 deaths, according to data from NBC News.
The lawmakers who were on the call were part of the bipartisan group that managed to break the deadlock in the stimulus package negotiations in late 2020.
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In addition to a new round of stimulus checks for $ 1,400, the proposal includes an increase and extension of emergency unemployment benefits that expire in mid-March, and an increase in
the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour
.
This last point is one of the most problematic for some Republicans.
To pass his proposal, Biden may have to make some concessions, but that would bring a disagreement with the more liberal Democratic wing.
This sector has asked the president to use legislative rules that allow him to lobby for the bill to be approved with only Democratic votes.
However, that would go against Biden's first to strike
a bipartisan agreement
.
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Democrats have options as they have gained control of both houses of Congress, such as a legislative process called reconciliation, which allows a bill to pass the Senate by a simple majority, but limits the measures that can be included.
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The president also intends to publish a recovery plan in his State of the Union address to Congress next month.
Biden has said it will include "historic investments" in infrastructure and manufacturing, innovation, research and development and clean energy.
With information from The Washington Post and CNN.