'We can't wait:' Biden pushes U.S. Congress for $1.9 trillion in COVID-19 relief

By Susan Cornwell and Andrea Shalal

 

FILE PHOTO: A person drives past a Los Angeles Regional Food Bank semi trailer at a drive-thru food distribution in West Covina, California, U.S. December 29, 2020. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration and Democratic and Republican lawmakers discussing a new $1.9 trillion in coronavirus relief agreed on Sunday that the most important priority should be producing and efficiently distributing a vaccine.

 

An aide to a Democrat who was on the call with Brian Deese, one of President Joe Biden's top economic aides, said the discussion had been "robust" and that the two sides would continue to work together.

 

Deese, director of the National Economic Council, had said he would have a call with the senators as part of a push by the Biden administration to make the case for a large rescue plan.

 

"We can't wait," White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters before the call. "Just because Washington has been gridlocked before doesn't mean it needs to continue to be gridlocked."

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 417,000 Americans, thrown millions out of work and is infecting more than 175,000 Americans a day, posing an immediate crisis to the Biden administration. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)

 

Biden, who took office on Wednesday, campaigned on a promise to take aggressive action on the pandemic, which his predecessor, President Donald Trump, often downplayed.

 

The Trump administration lagged far behind its target of 20 million Americans inoculated by the end of 2020. There was no plan in place for how to distribute the vaccine to millions of Americans when Biden took over, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said on Sunday.

 

While Congress has already authorized $4 trillion to respond, the White House says an additional $1.9 trillion is needed to cover the costs of responding to the virus and provide enhanced jobless benefits and payments to households.

 

The Democratic aide said "everyone agreed" on the call, which included some House of Representatives members as well as senators, that the No. 1 need was quickly producing and efficiently distributing the vaccine nationally.

 

'NATIONAL EMERGENCY'

"The bottom line is this: We're in a national emergency, and we need to act like we're in a national emergency," Biden said on Friday before signing executive orders on economic relief.

 

Although Biden’s Democratic Party narrowly controls the House and Senate, the legislation will likely need bipartisan support to become law.

 

"There was a robust discussion and this bipartisan group will continue to work together, discussing a pathway forward on another relief package," the Democratic aide said.

 

Some Republicans have balked at the price.

 

Republican Senator Mitt Romney said he would listen to the White House, but told "Fox News Sunday" before the call that the $1.9 trillion figure was "shocking."

 

"Spending and borrowing trillions of dollars from the Chinese among others is not necessarily the best thing we can do to get our economy to be strong long term," Romney said.

 

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer acknowledged remarks from some Republicans had not been positive.

 

He hoped they would see the need after Sunday's call.

 

"But if they don't, there are tools we can use to move forward on our own. And we will," Schumer told reporters in New York. He said those included a process that allows major legislation to pass the Senate on a simple majority.

 

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said he hoped for bipartisanship. "The object is trying to see if there's an area of agreement we can launch when it comes to this rescue package," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

 

Biden has said a top priority would be unifying a divided country. Trump's tenure drew to a close with his second impeachment by the House after supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a deadly bid to overturn his election loss.

 

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell, Andrea Shalal and Doina Chiacu; Writing by Doina Chiacu and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Scott Malone, Lisa Shumaker and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-25

 

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Get her done Joe!lets kick this virus ass and get rolling again!

Pass it. Get the money out. Weasel Romney must think he can position himself to run for president at age 78, too. But this money isn't coming from China. The first Covid relief bill, not so strangely enough, did have money going to China, with $350,000 to $1 million going to the family of DOT Secretary Elaine Chao, the wife of McConnell. Why didn't Romney complain about that? 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Republican Senator Mitt Romney said he would listen to the White House, but told "Fox News Sunday" before the call that the $1.9 trillion figure was "shocking."

Not every American has a net worth like yours Mitt - 250 million!

 

Most Americans have been devastated by this pandemic, and would appreciate it if you could stop thinking about yourself. 

I won’t hold my breath.  Never got the 1st stimulus check, and still waiting for the second one.  They don’t seem to like married filing jointly, when one spouse uses an ITIN.

There is more pork fat in those Coronavirus bills then meat.  It's basically as slab of fat for special interests with a tiny ribbon of meat for the American public and business who needs it.  And this isn't partisan.  All political parties and politicos are guilty as hell.  All the special interest pork fat needs to be trimmed off and that 1,9 Trillion needs to go to building back American small businesses with the banks distributing that monies highly regulated.
Will it happen?

1 hour ago, connda said:

There is more pork fat in those Coronavirus bills then meat.  It's basically as slab of fat for special interests with a tiny ribbon of meat for the American public and business who needs it.  And this isn't partisan.  All political parties and politicos are guilty as hell.  All the special interest pork fat needs to be trimmed off and that 1,9 Trillion needs to go to building back American small businesses with the banks distributing that monies highly regulated.
Will it happen?

Welcome back to the swamp.

16 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Welcome back to the swamp.

Yes, because the swamp was drained when trump was "president"!

 

 

https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/since-2017-9-trump-associates-have-been-charged-with-or-convicted-of-crimes-BpUd9tOCXUyCbXpvb9Y8FA

I'm left of center but  I would like to limit any further disbursements to citizens and businesses that actually need the money. That's messy to determine for sure and it can't be even close to perfect but sending this money to wealthy people to bank it seems nutty. I like big government but I also like more efficient and equitable government.

Just now, Jingthing said:

I'm left of center but  I would like to limit any further disbursements to citizens and businesses that actually need the money. That's messy to determine for sure and it can't be even close to perfect but sending this money to wealthy people to bank it seems nutty. I like big government but I also like more efficient and equitable government.

Agree 100%. Make it (however imperfectly) dependent on your financial situation and don't give a dime to those who refuse to get vaccinated.

4 minutes ago, Phoenix Rising said:

Agree 100%. Make it (however imperfectly) dependent on your financial situation and don't give a dime to those who refuse to get vaccinated.

Yes just because its difficult and imperfect doesn't mean they shouldn't try. Better imperfect than wasting so much money on people that don't need it.

 

Even more so now as its not an election year. There is an obvious political benefit to sending most everyone checks during an election year  Cynical as that is its real.

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I'm left of center but  I would like to limit any further disbursements to citizens and businesses that actually need the money. That's messy to determine for sure and it can't be even close to perfect but sending this money to wealthy people to bank it seems nutty. I like big government but I also like more efficient and equitable government.

I don't recall the income limit, but the previous disbursements were only given to people below a certain income level based on their previous years taxes.   

 

2 minutes ago, Credo said:

I don't recall the income limit, but the previous disbursements were only given to people below a certain income level based on their previous years taxes.   

 

Yes. It was a high limit. Also so many small businesses got bupkis. Need to do better.

3 hours ago, Phoenix Rising said:

Agree 100%. Make it (however imperfectly) dependent on your financial situation and don't give a dime to those who refuse to get vaccinated.

Most states are limiting vaccinations to assisted living facilities, critical workers and, in some cases, those over 65.  It will be weeks before others have the option of getting vaccinated (in Florida the over 65's are struggling just to get an appointment) and months before a significant portion of the rest of the population can get vaccinated.

 

In short, while agree everyone should get vaccinated, for their own good and the good of all others, making people wait for their stimulus money until after they are vaccinated will delay payments and the economic stimulus that is needed now.

 

Trump's warp speed in vaccine development was not accompanied by a plan for vaccinating the country.  Too bad he isn't the brilliant business man he claims to be; he would have known that a great product needs a great distribution system. 

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I'm left of center but  I would like to limit any further disbursements to citizens and businesses that actually need the money. That's messy to determine for sure and it can't be even close to perfect but sending this money to wealthy people to bank it seems nutty. I like big government but I also like more efficient and equitable government.

Just trust 'Honest Joe'...The least the new government could do is to introduce swingeing tax reforms and increase taxes all round. Joe and Kamala have a mandate for tax increases. They should announce tax increase sooner rather than later...The next election is less than 4 years away!

 

Really superficial picture analysis atop the article.

8 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

I won’t hold my breath.  Never got the 1st stimulus check, and still waiting for the second one.  They don’t seem to like married filing jointly, when one spouse uses an ITIN.

I dont think you should get it. You are more concerned with the dollar rate impact on the baht.

 

The money is for people in the US to help them, which also keeps the economy ticking. Those living overseas should be the last to get it as they are not really going to use it in the US economy.

1 hour ago, Sujo said:

I dont think you should get it. You are more concerned with the dollar rate impact on the baht.

 

The money is for people in the US to help them, which also keeps the economy ticking. Those living overseas should be the last to get it as they are not really going to use it in the US economy.

So far expats have not been excluded. 

I can understand the argument that we should be excluded though.

On the other hand many Americans abroad have been hit economically by the pandemic. 

Also many Americans abroad may still have economic activity in the U.S.

Also Americans abroad tend to buy alot of imported American products. 

I think the point of the checks is both stimulus and relief.

 

11 hours ago, Phoenix Rising said:

Agree 100%. Make it (however imperfectly) dependent on your financial situation and don't give a dime to those who refuse to get vaccinated.

You just suggested making a messy situation almost impossible to coordinate quickly. Even though it's now a Biden administration, it's still a US GOVERNMENT administration. Walking and chewing gum has never been a strong suit, regardless of what party is at the helm.

11 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yes. It was a high limit. Also so many small businesses got bupkis. Need to do better.

I personally know two people who needed the small business loans desperately and got that bupkis thing instead. Joel Osteen got $4.4 million, Tom Brady got nearly $1 million, Kanye received $2-5 million. THIS level of scrutiny shouldn't be too difficult.

9 hours ago, Sujo said:

I dont think you should get it. You are more concerned with the dollar rate impact on the baht.

 

The money is for people in the US to help them, which also keeps the economy ticking. Those living overseas should be the last to get it as they are not really going to use it in the US economy.

To your point, perhaps expats shouldn’t get a stimulus.  I get that.  But at least make it consistent.  I have expat friends who did receive stimulus checks.  If their Thai wife has a SS number, or if they were single, or married filing separately.  It makes no sense for married filing jointly with an ITIN spouse—to be disqualified.

Furthermore, as other posters have pointed out, many expats continue to pay high US taxes (like me).  We could use some relief—with an overpriced Baht.

12 hours ago, Nout said:

Just trust 'Honest Joe'...The least the new government could do is to introduce swingeing tax reforms and increase taxes all round. Joe and Kamala have a mandate for tax increases. They should announce tax increase sooner rather than later...The next election is less than 4 years away!

I agree, they should raise the taxes for the 1 %ers. 

5 hours ago, J Town said:

You just suggested making a messy situation almost impossible to coordinate quickly. Even though it's now a Biden administration, it's still a US GOVERNMENT administration. Walking and chewing gum has never been a strong suit, regardless of what party is at the helm.

Not a well thought out suggestion by me. Scratch what I said about linking relief to vaccines, purely because trump made such a complete mess of the whole Covid disaster that it will still take months before everyone has been offered a shot.

On 1/25/2021 at 4:39 PM, John Drake said:

Pass it. Get the money out. Weasel Romney must think he can position himself to run for president at age 78, too. But this money isn't coming from China. The first Covid relief bill, not so strangely enough, did have money going to China, with $350,000 to $1 million going to the family of DOT Secretary Elaine Chao, the wife of McConnell. Why didn't Romney complain about that? 

"... with $350,000 to $1 million going to the family of DOT Secretary Elaine Chao, the wife of McConnell. "   How do that happen?

36 minutes ago, scorecard said:

"... with $350,000 to $1 million going to the family of DOT Secretary Elaine Chao, the wife of McConnell. "   How do that happen?

 

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/07/firm-run-elaine-chao-and-mitch-mcconnells-family-got-federal-ppp-loan/5390273002/

3 hours ago, Phoenix Rising said:

Not a well thought out suggestion by me. Scratch what I said about linking relief to vaccines, purely because trump made such a complete mess of the whole Covid disaster that it will still take months before everyone has been offered a shot.

I've spoken mistakenly as well.  HERE is the difference: You speak mistakenly, I speak mistakenly, WE ADMIT IT and move on. Too many people we chat with here can't admit a mistake, even when faced with cold hard facts.