![]() In 2009, Democrats used it to pass part of the health care law. In 2017, Republicans used it to enact a massive tax bill. Reconciliation can be controversial though both parties have used the process to pass major legislation. "I see enormous pain in this country, a lot of folks out of work," he said. economy "is still in trouble" and said coronavirus caseloads showed "we're still in the teeth of this pandemic." Joined by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, he said the January jobs numbers showed the U.S. If forced to choose between acting quickly or finding bipartisan compromise, Biden said: "That's an easy choice – I'm going to help the American people who are hurting – now."īiden made his remarks after a "good but very long meeting" with House Democrats. I'm going to act fast," Biden reiterated on Friday. The president said he "will not settle" on his pandemic relief bill. Republicans oppose the size of Biden's proposal and have offered a smaller alternative. The amendments also give a glimpse of the ways GOP lawmakers will campaign against any final legislation - and also some lines of attack for the 2022 midterm elections. These amendments are mostly nonbinding and simply send a message of priorities to the committees that will write the final legislation. Other bipartisan amendments allowed committees to consider tighter income requirements for future stimulus checks and suggested establishing grants for bars and restaurants. For example, there was unanimous support for allowing committees to prevent tax hikes on small businesses during a public health emergency. Some amendments that passed overnight in the Senate expressed support for policies or provided specific allowances and suggestions that committees address hot-button issues. following an all-night "vote-a-rama," which brought hours of votes on dozens of amendments, many intended to force legislators to take a public stand on unrelated controversial issues. The Senate process took several days - Harris arrived to break the tie on the resolution shortly after 5:30 a.m. Democrats also disagree on elements of other policies, like a plan to forgive some federal student loan debt and efforts to tie federal unemployment benefits to the average national unemployment rate. Not all Democrats have embraced Biden's call for a $15 federal minimum wage. While Democrats generally agree on many of the principles in Biden's proposal, they have yet to confront internal disagreements about some of the details. They have a slim majority in the House, but the even split in the Senate provides a significant challenge. The process of writing the legislative text may take weeks and will require Senate Democrats to find unanimous agreement on every element. Biden is calling for spending to include money for vaccine distribution, upgrades to hospitals and schools, $1,400 stimulus checks for most Americans and expanded pandemic unemployment aid. The next step is for House and Senate committees to begin drafting legislation using Biden's proposal as a framework. He said that GOP lawmakers have "suddenly rediscovered" fiscal restraint and concerns about the deficit and that too many are opposed to any spending or won't agree to a big enough package. ![]() "They're just not willing to go as far as I think we need to go," Biden said, noting that he had wanted to work with Republicans on the package but was not willing to delay. ![]() On Friday, Biden said he does not think congressional Republicans were prepared to deal quickly enough with his economic proposal and said he and Democrats would move quickly to deliver the aid. ![]()
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