US Democrats Likely to Attempt Passing President Biden's $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Plan Next Week

Continuing Attempts to Reach Agreement with the Republican Party... Likely to Use Budget Reconciliation if Unsuccessful

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The U.S. Senate Democrats are expected to pass the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package proposed by President Joe Biden next week. To expedite the passage of Biden's stimulus plan, the Democrats have postponed the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump to early next month.

According to the Associated Press on the 27th (local time), the Democrats intend to pass the stimulus bill next week. President Biden is seeking bipartisan agreement and continues to negotiate the stimulus package with Republicans, but if an agreement proves difficult, they plan to use their control of both the House and Senate to pass the bill next week.

If Republicans oppose, the Democrats plan to use the 'budget reconciliation' authority to pass the bill. The Senate Budget Committee Chair can exercise reconciliation powers to pass individual budget bills by a simple majority, even if the 60 votes required for Senate approval are not met. Currently, the Senate Budget Committee Chair is an independent senator who has cooperated with the Democrats, Bernie Sanders. Senator Sanders is aiming to use reconciliation powers to pass the minimum wage increase he has persistently advocated for.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of the Democratic Party
[Photo by AP News]

Relatedly, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told Democratic lawmakers to prepare for a vote on the budget reconciliation package as early as next week. Schumer said, "The work to pass the stimulus package must proceed quickly," adding, "We will prioritize agreement with Republicans, but if that is not feasible, it must proceed without Republican consent." He added, "Time is critical to resolving the crisis," and "We will explore all options."

Biden's stimulus package includes plans for vaccine distribution, school reopening measures, $1,400 payments to each household, and raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next five years.

President Biden still wants the bill to pass on the premise of bipartisan agreement. Accordingly, White House officials continue to engage with lawmakers from both parties. According to P, White House officials met with senators from both parties for two consecutive days on the 24th and 25th, and on the 26th held a video conference with dozens of House members from both parties. A positive atmosphere was sensed during these successive meetings.

Senators from both parties reportedly agreed during a weekend meeting that the vaccine supply system should be given the highest priority. They also agreed on the need to more specifically select recipients for the $1,400 payments. Additionally, they agreed on the necessity to first account for funds from existing support measures that have not yet been disbursed. This appears to take into account the Republican stance, which has expressed reluctance, saying that $1.9 trillion is too much.

The U.S. Congress approved a total of $4 trillion in emergency relief funds after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic last year. This is the largest amount of relief funds ever approved in U.S. history.

Senator Bernie Sanders [Photo by UPI]

Senator Susan Collins, a Republican who attended the weekend meeting, said she is waiting for statistics on how much of the previously approved stimulus funds have not yet been disbursed. She claimed that $1.8 trillion has not yet been spent.

However, Senator Collins responded positively to the White House's efforts, saying that the White House has provided more detailed information on the use of stimulus funds. Collins said she intends to focus on vaccine supply and economic support for those most in need within Biden's stimulus plan. Last month, Collins played a leading role in securing the $900 billion stimulus agreement for the Republicans.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Budget Committee, plans to include the $15 minimum wage increase in the budget and use reconciliation powers to pass the bill. Sanders is already working on this.

He said, "There has been communication regarding the minimum wage increase," adding, "It doesn't matter if Republicans are not ready to join. We will not wait and will actively move forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.