The president, Joe Biden, assures that he will keep his promise that the new pandemic aid plan
includes a check for $ 1,400
, although he is willing to review
who will be the beneficiaries
, according to a conversation he had with Democratic congressmen on Wednesday.
The president's message to the members of his party was: "
I am not going to break my promise to the American people
," according to the informational website The Hill.
Biden has promised that he will raise the total aid awarded to families to $ 2,000, supplementing the $ 600 payment awarded in December with a new stimulus check.
Biden also urged House Democrats to "go big, not small" on the relief plan, according to people on the call to CBS News.
The bill presented by the president, which has already taken its first steps in Congress, is worth 1.9 billion dollars.
A group of 10 Republican senators have presented an alternative proposal of just 618,000 million, which they negotiated this week in the White House, and that would limit the check to people who earn less than $ 50,000.
The Republican Proposal for the Pandemic Relief Package in Detail
Feb. 2, 202103: 09
While the two plans have similar figures allocated for a national vaccination, testing and disaster relief program, the Administration
wants to spend more
on unemployment benefits and aid to state and local governments, among other measures.
["People live in their cars." Millions of people are impacted by delays in unemployment benefits]
Review who benefits from the check
Biden also discussed with congressmen Democrats the possibility of reducing the groups that would be eligible to receive the stimulus checks during a meeting also this Wednesday at the White House.
Senator Christopher A. Coons, present at the meeting, said Biden is "tirelessly
focused on providing the relief that Americans need
."
Coons added that the goal is for aid to arrive in "weeks, not months."
Democrats seek to approve aid for March
A group of 10 Republican senators presented their $ 618 billion alternative plan, with checks for $ 1,000, to Biden at a meeting at the White House on Monday.
A day later, in a meeting with legislators from his party and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the president made it clear that the proposal was insufficient, according to The Washington Post newspaper and The Associated Press agency.
Some 900,000 people first applied for unemployment benefits last week
Jan. 22, 202100: 32
"
If we pass such a small package, we are going to be mired in the COVID-19 crisis for years
," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the meeting.
In parallel, the Senate Democrats began to take the first steps to apply a procedure that would allow them to approve the president's package without Republican support.
[2020 was the worst for the economy since World War II: growth fell 3.5%]
The goal is for
the relief to be approved for the month of March
, when the additional unemployment benefits and other aid granted by the pandemic expire.
"The president spoke about the need for Congress to respond with courage and speed," said Schumer.
The Senate voted with its majority of 50-49, to open the debate on a fiscal budget resolution of the year 2021 that includes aid expenses in the face of the pandemic.
It is a legislative strategy that
would allow Democrats to bypass the possible Republican blockade
of the aid package, although it carries risks.
Specialists have warned that a stimulus plan without bipartisan support can bring reports on health programs and subsidies.
Republicans used this strategy when they controlled Congress in 2017 to pass a comprehensive tax reform bill without Democratic support.
Senator Bernie Sanders piñata, created by Texas businessman, goes viral
Jan. 29, 202100: 36
The House of Representatives also voted in favor of treating this budget resolution by 216-210, without the support of any Republicans.
[Democrats try to speed up checks for $ 1,400 after overcoming lockdown in Senate]
The debate is expected to continue in Congress for the rest of the week.
Once the budget resolution is
passed
,
Democrats
will
still
have to draft the bill
, which may lead to the final vote being only in March.
With information from The Hill, Reuters, The Washington Post, Associated Press and CBS News.