Biden says $1,400 payments must be in rescue plan
(KYMA, KECY, AP)- President Joe Biden told House Democrats on Wednesday he's “not married" to an absolute number on his $1.9 trillion COVID rescue plan but Congress needs to “act fast” on relief for the pandemic and the economic crisis.
According to the Associated Press, Biden also said he doesn't want to budge from his proposed $1,400 in direct payments that he said were promised to Americans.
“Look, we got a lot of people hurting in our country today,” Biden said. “We need to act. We need to act fast. We need to restore the soul of the country.”
On the direct payments, he said, "I’m not going to start my administration by breaking a promise to the American people.”
The meeting with House Democrats and another later with Democratic senators came as the president steps up his public engagements with lawmakers on pandemic aid and an economic recovery package, together his first legislative priority and a test of the administration's ability to deliver. Biden’s remarks to the Democratic House caucus were relayed by two people who requested anonymity to discuss the private conference call.
While Biden is trying to build bipartisan support from Republicans, he is also prepared to rely on the Democratic majority in Congress to push his top agenda item into law. Republicans object to his package as excessive, preferring a $618 billion alternative, but Biden panned that as insufficient even as he continues private talks with Republicans on potential areas of compromise.
Meeting later with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and 10 top Senate Democrats in the Oval Office, the president expressed confidence that the relief package would still win over GOP votes and be bipartisan.
