GOP senators offer coronavirus relief package counterproposal

WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden pushes for swift congressional approval for his proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, 10 Republican U.S. senators on Sunday unveiled a narrower counter proposal, aimed at reaching a bipartisan agreement sought by the new president.

In a letter to Biden, the ten Republicans, led by Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, said they are heeding the new president’s "calls for unity and want to work in good faith with your Administration."

The lawmakers requested a meeting with Biden to discuss their plan which they said they would detail in full on Monday. Appearing on the Sunday political talk show circuit, several senators who co-signed the letter said their $600 billion deal preserves many of the elements of Biden’s package such as $160 billion to ramp up COVID-19 testing, and funding to reopen schools, but would reduce the amount of direct cash payments provided to Americans.

The GOP proposal comes as congressional Democrats — who currently hold a majority in the U.S. House and Senate — are set to kick-off a process on Monday known as budget reconciliation that would essentially allow Biden to pass his proposal through both chambers of Congress with solely Democratic support.

Biden in his first week in office has emphasized his desire for reaching a bipartisan deal, but doing so would require at least 10 Republican senators to vote in favor of his package.

The 10 Senate Republicans who signed Sunday’s letter include moderates who have previously voiced support for Biden such as Collins, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Rob Portman of Ohio, and allies of former President Donald Trump such as Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. Others who signed include Todd Young of Indiana, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Mike Rounds of South Dakota.

White House Economic Adviser Brian Deese, asked about the GOP proposal on CNN’s State of the Union, said the administration is "certainly open to input from anywhere where we can find a constructive idea to make this package as effective as possible. But the president is uncompromising when it comes to the speed that we need to act at to address this crisis."

Congressional Republicans have balked at signing on to Biden’s original package, arguing that his proposal is too costly given that Congress passed a $900 billion relief bill in December.

In their letter, the lawmakers note "that billions of dollars remain unspent from the previous COVID relief packages."

Biden and his economic advisers have argued in the past week that the December bill, which included $600 direct cash payments to millions of Americans, was needed to fill an economic void created months earlier, and the economy continues to need a boost amid widespread unemployment.

"One thing we've learned over the past 11 months is a piecemeal approach, where we try to tackle one element of this and wait and see on the rest, is not a recipe for success," Deese said on NBC’s "Meet the Press." "So we need to move forward comprehensively and we need to move forward with speed, and in that context, there's plenty of room for making modifications including people's ideas."

The preliminary plan put forward Sunday by the 10 GOP Senators would reduce the pool of Americans eligible for direct cash payments by reducing the income thresholds for individuals to $50,000 and $100,000 for couples. Under the Biden plan the thresholds are $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), one of the signers of the letter, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," said the GOP plan calls for $1,000 checks instead of the $1,400 proposed by Biden.

Cassidy argued that the checks need to be "targeted" to those in most desperate need.

"Above a certain income level, that money's not spent," Cassidy said, adding that higher earners holding on to relief payments "doesn't stimulate the economy."

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who is also part of the group of 10, noted that the previous coronavirus relief packages passed by Congress have passed with bipartisan support.

"We have had five COVID-19 packages that are entirely bipartisan, let's do it again, because that's what would be best for the country," Portman said appearing on CNN’s "State of the Union."

Portman said although Biden has the option to pass his proposal through the partisan reconciliation process, it was not in Biden’s best interest to do so because it "will poison the well for other bipartisanship we will need on so many issues."

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), the incoming chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, asked on ABC’s "This Week" if Democrats should hold off on moving forward with the reconciliation process given the new GOP proposal, said it was more urgent to move quick and address "the unprecedented crisis that we face right now."

"We all want bipartisanship and I think you're gonna see more of it as we move down the pike," Sanders said. "We all look forward to working with Republicans, but right now, this country faces an unprecedented set of crises. ... We have got to act and we have to act now."