At least ten Republican legislators have urged President Joe Biden to significantly downsize the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package as Democrats are prepared to push ahead with the bill. The spokesperson of the White House, Jen Psaki, said this week Biden responded to the overture by inviting the lawmakers to the White House.
Psaki said, “With the virus posing a grave threat to the country, and economic conditions grim for so many, the need for action is urgent, and the scale of what must be done is large.” She further added that the president spoke to a key Republican Senator, Susan Collins, and asked her and other party leaders to visit the White House for comprehensive talks.
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- Democrats Vow To Push Ahead On Biden’s Coronavirus Relief Package
- Biden Administration Fights For $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package
Previously, the White House economic advisor hinted to cut down the cost of the proposed stimulus package raised by the Republicans and floated a $600 billion package. However, while talking to a local media channel, the director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, stated that the president was not willing to compromise on the stimulus package aimed to ramp up the vaccination process.
Meanwhile, political experts suggest that the new bill would not only affect millions of unemployed Americans but also as a challenge for the Biden administration to prepare a comprehensive response to the pandemic outbreak. As of Sunday, the US remains the worst affected country with a total of 440,000 fatalities.
On the other hand, the Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer stated that the upper house would begin the work on the bill as early as next week, while the Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated that the lower chamber would complete the preliminary step within a week.
Bide, who assumed the presidential office two weeks ago, has proposed $160 billion to boost the vaccination drive in the country as well as $170 billion for coronavirus testing in educational institutes. However, some Republicans have balked at the price of the stimulus package following the $4 trillion in coronavirus pending last year.
