US President Biden to Hold One-Day Negotiation with Republican Lawmakers Proposing Stimulus Amendment

President Joe Biden of the United States [Image source= AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] U.S. President Joe Biden has accepted the Republican Party's request for a meeting and will meet with 10 Republican senators on the afternoon of the 1st.

These 10 Republican senators proposed a revised stimulus plan worth $600 billion, about one-third of Biden's $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package. The 10 Republican senators sent a letter to President Biden on the 31st of last month requesting a meeting while proposing the $600 billion revised plan. President Biden accepted their meeting request within a few hours.

According to the Associated Press on the 1st (local time), President Biden and the Republican senators are scheduled to meet that afternoon. Cedric Richmond, White House Director of External Affairs, said, "President Biden is willing to meet with anyone to advance discussions on COVID-19 economic stimulus."

Before taking office, President Biden proposed a $1.9 trillion stimulus package to respond to the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. The Republican Party passed a $900 billion stimulus plan last month but expressed reluctance toward another $1.9 trillion in fiscal spending, citing it as too burdensome. The 10 Republican senators proposed a revised stimulus plan the day before, reportedly around $600 billion in size.

President Biden proposed providing $1,400 to each household in the stimulus plan, but the Republican senators reportedly reduced the overall stimulus size by narrowing the eligibility for support.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated that President Biden still prefers a broad support plan and emphasized the need for large-scale support to be implemented quickly.

If President Biden and the 10 Republican senators reach an agreement through negotiations, the stimulus plan is expected to pass as early as next week. With the support of these 10 Republican senators, it would be easy to reach the Senate's required 60 votes for approval. The 10 Republican senators also stated in their letter to President Biden that if he supports it, the stimulus bill would quickly pass Congress with bipartisan agreement.

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