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The White House is especially open to the idea of reducing incentives for families earning more than $150,000 a year, the official said, but the government is not considering limiting access to unemployment insurance months or money for school.
The official told CNN that if the Republican counterproposal passes, lawmakers will have to resume negotiations in two months, which could happen in an even more difficult political landscape. The official said that while the Biden administration is open to an aid program of less than $1.9 trillion, it is not considering a $600 billion plan.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday night that Biden has invited GOP senators who support the counterproposal to the White House for a full exchange of views.
With the virus posing a serious threat to the country and the economic conditions bleak for many, there is an urgent need for action and action must be taken on a large scale, she said.
In a joint statement Sunday night, the 10 senators said they had accepted the president’s invitation to come to the White House Monday afternoon to discuss how to move forward with the sixth bipartisan Covid 19 aid package.
The Republican bailout package is the main response to the White House package. With a cost more than $1 trillion less than that of the Democrats’ plan, the GOP proposal is likely to face opposition from Democrats in Congress.
The Global Fund has allocated approximately $12 million for the development and distribution of vaccines, testing and monitoring, and treatment and supplies, including the production and use of personal protective equipment. It also provides for a new round of direct payments for families with special needs, extends unemployment benefits at current levels, and provides $4 billion for mental health and addiction services.
But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told the New York Daily News Sunday that the Republican proposal was not enough and said Republicans should negotiate with us, not make a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
And Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Sunday that he thinks there are enough Democratic votes to get Biden’s aid package Covid 19 through as part of a process known as reconciliation, which requires only a simple majority.
Biden said he was not opposed to reconciliation, but the official said Sunday that the White House wanted to make sure Republicans had a seat, but they would not sleep.
The debate over the aid package is a first test of Mr. Biden’s commitment to think outside the box during his presidency. In his inaugural address earlier this month, the president called for bipartisanship and unity.
As of Sunday night, no further steps had been decided for a meeting with either party, although Ms. Psaki noted in her remarks that Biden had spoken with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Schumer about the legislation.
She said the president is grateful that Congress is ready to begin implementing the American Recovery Act in his second full week in office.
Manu Raju, Paul LeBlanc, Dana Bash, Lauren Fox, Devan Cole and Daniella Diaz contributed to this report.
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