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GOP Senators Propose $618B COVID-19 Relief Plan
A group of 10 GOP Senators outlined a $618 billion COVID-19 relief plan Monday to President Joe Biden. This includes a round of $1,000 stimulus checks for adults as direct stimulus relief. In addition, the proposal provides $300 a week in enhanced federal unemployment benefits through June. Previously, Democrats proposed unemployment benefits of $400 a week until September.
RELATED: Trump Signs COVID Relief Bill, $600 Stimulus Checks
Meanwhile, Democrats filed a joint budget resolution Monday aimed at passing Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief program. This budget resolution allows the Democrats to pass Biden’s massive coronavirus relief plan without the need for Republican support.
Meeting with Biden
Ten Republican senators met with Mr. Biden Monday evening to discuss their proposal, which offered a lower budget compared to Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan. The GOP offer also earmarked $20 billion each for child care and schools, $50 billion for small business relief, and $160 for the vaccine rollout plan. All these are much lower than what the Democrats want to pass. It also leaves out measures the GOP finds unacceptable, such as state and local government aid and raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Republican Senator Susan Collins (ME) led the group of GOP senators, while Senator Mike Rounds (SD) joined by remote. While the discussion lasted two hours, they did end with both sides agreeing to talk further. “It was a very good exchange of views. I wouldn’t say that we came together on a package tonight. No one expected that in a two-hour meeting,” Collins said after. Senator Rob Portman (OH) called the meeting productive and hoped for a bipartisan aid deal. “No reason we can’t do it again,” he later tweeted.
Not the Forum
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden found it important to hear out the GOP proposal. However, the meeting was not “the forum for the president to make or accept an offer,” she added. Also, Psaki said the need for state and local government aid at this time. She cited the importance of pushing through with helping states and cities, hence that’s why they were part of the original budget.
Had the GOP remained in control of the Senate, the $618 billion programs would have stood as a counteroffer for approval. Unfortunately, Democrats now control the Senate, and they are insistent on pushing through without needing to trim the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan.
Democrat Program Too Large
Republicans earlier said that the proposed COVID-19 relief plan’s budget from the Democrats remains too large. Republican Senator Pat Toomey (PA) warned that additional spending on top of the $4 trillion relief programs last year is a bad idea. Toomey did not join the group of GOP Senators who met with Biden.
“It looks to me like a whole lot more of what we just did,” Toomey said on CNBC Monday. He noted that Congress passed in December a roughly $900 billion measure that included stimulus checks and aid for small businesses and unemployment. “Most of this money by the way hasn’t even really been spent yet. I just don’t think there’s a good case for redoing this,” he said. Meanwhile, Democrat Senator Ron Wyden (OR), the incoming Finance Committee chairman, said the Republican proposal is too small. Also, it didn’t offer a long enough extension to unemployment benefits.
Budget Resolution
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY), introduced last Monday a budget resolution measure. It aims to get bills passed through a simple majority, instead of the usual 60 votes. “Congress must pursue a bold and robust course of action. It makes no sense to pinch pennies when so many Americans are struggling,” Schumer said Monday.
Democrats will use a procedure called reconciliation to get a bill passed in Congress without requiring Republican votes. This loophole only works when dealing with measures with budget impacts. A bill with 10 Republican votes in the Senate could move faster and avoid some of the quirky constraints inherent in the reconciliation process.
$618 Billion Plan
The Republican proposal also wants to scale back the stimulus check given to American households of $1400 per person. Instead, the relief checks would amount to $1,000 per adult and $500 per dependent adult and child. In addition, the stimulus amount would shrink once income levels reach $40,000 per year. No checks will be given to those earning $50,000 and above. For married couples, relief is suspended when joint income reaches $100,000. For comparison, a married couple with two children would receive up to $5,600 from the Democratic plan and $3,000 from the GOP plan. With the lower handouts, the GOP plan will cost $220 billion, less than half of its Democratic counterpart.
Watch the Bloomberg Politics new video where GOP Senators offer a $600 Billion stimulus compromise:
Loading ...Do you agree with the Republican offer of lower stimulus checks for each family? Or, do you prefer to stick with the original plan of $1,400 per person based on the Democratic proposal? Let us know what you think about the ongoing stimulus negotiations in Congress. Share your thoughts below.
21 Comments
How much of this money is going to foreign governments, and then they will give back (kickback) some of the money to the congressmen for all of the free money they got? All of our congress should be recalled.
Give us the $2,000.00 Biden said he was going to do
They need to give us more and more and more ~ it doesn’t make any difference WE ARE ALREADY BROKE!
Biden promised $2000 if democrats won in Georgia. They did. Send $2000 check to each American. Then each month for 2 years send $2000 each month. No foreign aid to other countries and not one dime to state or local governments.
If the vaccine is working and the government is continuing to do that, then why is the president trying to go big. Open America back up if the vaccine is working. The government is riding both sides of this so they can give big money back to the big donors ( As Always)!
Only President Trump offered $2,000.00 NOT Biden – y’all are not fact checking your own bullshit!!!
WILLIAM DONALDSON…TRUMP…POLOSI…AND BIDEN ALL SAID 2000 DOLLARS! YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO A RECHECK
Since we have to put up with sleepy Joe we might as well get something are party wants.
Take care of the middle and lower class and small business. No money to other countries.Get businesses back to America. Biden blew it closing the pipe line and stopping the wall. He could of done this later.Why bite off the hand that feeds you and cause more trouble and pain. Biden is being controlled by someone. You would think after 37 yrs in government he would have some common sense but “ come on man” he just doesn’t have the ability to be President.
The pipeline is for the long term benefit of Canada and short time job benefits for us.The Mexicans get all the “Build The Wall” jobs and it’s supposed to keep them out! 🤣 Where the hell is the Mexican check for building what we did?
Our national debt is out of control. Government keeps adding to fuel to the fire. Especially l.9 trillion dollars Democratic Socialist party recommends. It is irresponsible. I don’t necessarily agree with the Republicans proposal. But, seemed more reasonable. People need to get back to work. Don’t need continuous hand outs. You want to break our country
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you cant trust the government they say one thing and do another and that virus they knew about it long before they shut down the country now the wall is on hold this money shouldnt go to mexicans that skipped into our country they are taking jobs from us as well and the government cant see that or maybe they can but they just dont care and the health care system has went into the ground no one can get anything done with all the things they took away from that also medicaid for each state is a federal ins. so people should be able to use it any where in the U.S.A. and only the U.S.A. what i dont understand they are taking from the poor and middle class and not the rich like them self so whats wrong with that picture and that money we are getting is nothing but a scab off thier back that didnt hurt any one at the white house so why all voting on this when they know all ready that they can do this money deal leave the rich out they dont need it maybe the state goverment thats not rich like them like DHHR / POLICE DEPTS, AND GAME WARDENS
Where is the money coming from to pay for this?? How are we going to pay it back?? Anyone??
I opposed these rebate checks entirely. The one they pass last March for 1,200 I received only $218.00 and I got nothing with the $600 rebate check they pass in December. I don’t benefit from it because I made too much money in 2019. If our government is going to give rebate checks everyone should get the same amount regardless of income. As far as I am concern the rebate program is not fair.
Here I sit February 3rd and I’ve received no stimulus check for $600.00. I’m on Social Security direct deposit and I’ve have yet to see this check! I called yesterday 3 times and waited the half hour like they told me it would be and they hung up on me. I finally called back close to 8mpm. Then the lady explained the system was to full and that’s why it kicked me off!!So then she explained checks were behind and if I didn’t recieve by February 12 then could file taxes.I have to file a tax form… go figure…I haven’t filed taxes for 12 years now I have to file a tax for just to get the $600.00. Why couldn’t the
3 times I had called before couldn’t they give me this information instead of putting me on to telephone line that was going to hang up on me!! If everyone had to go through. This the $600.00 would still be sitting at the tax office.. lol
I am laughing because I know people that have been sitting home while I am working. They literally making more than me. Pox on both GOP and the Socialists. You approve to help illegals and foreigners .. and if you make 40k and trying to make by – you give us the finger. Either give everyone something or everyone nothing. This is literally a smack in the face. But make sure you give yourself a raise! What does it matter we are just cattle to everyone on capitol hill!
Wow! How on earth is all this garbage happening? Stimulus – what are people going to do when its all over and you actually have to work for a living? Does anyone realize that $1,400 per American is a lot of freaking money? I live on a fixed disability income and my wife works and makes about $28,000 per year. So between the two of us we make roughly $43,000 before taxes. We manage to get by and pay for all our meds. Has the stimulus helped? Yes. But it is not necessary. People keep complaining that $1,400 is not enough. I have a neighbor who is 29 years old, he and his (I guess wife) have SIX kids. Do you understand that this one family (if Biden has his way with the $1,400) will have received $22,000 in less than a year. The guy is still working full time. Why do we continue to give handouts? Our government is making it so things are going to get real ugly when reality slaps us in the face.
Hi if we due what is right for Americans .this is what I see should happen the american people should have a group of ten people in each state that are on call for a year or two and they break the tie and then truely then due the american people get there country back thank you oh for listening tony boutin freemason
Her is what I think when were voting on the issues of money there are so important not to allow all kinds of spending vot on one major issue at a time they need to stop spending and rolling all kinds of bills togather they get so long and nobody now’s were the money is going that is how the american people get ripped off
The problem I see with Biden’s plan is that $ he’s talking about, the biggest part goes to foreign countries and people who don’t need it here in America. It should be $1400 per “WORKING OR HAD WORKED tax payer PEOPLE PRIOR TO C-19”, no one on welfare or non-American or making over $150,000 total house hold income should receive any $. The country is in enough debt, we as AMERICANS can not keep digging out the hole, if we do keep doing so, the hole is eventually going to cave in on us all. I think everyone who has or had a job and paid taxes and under $150,000 total house hold and a actual legal registered real AMERICA prior to C-19 could receive $1400.00 per person and $600.00 per child up to 2 children total and keep the borrowing debt under $800 Billion.
We make close to 45,000 per year. The 600.00 sent went for groceries. It lasted 3 months and I am really tired of soup, ramen and hotdogs. Our 10,000 air conditioner stopped working, we had a bathroom pipe burst, our disc brakes failed and that was 2,000. We live check to check.