President Joe Biden defended the American Rescue Plan and the state of the economy Friday, after the Senate passed a budget resolution very early Friday morning — a key step for the Democratic-controlled Congress to pass the president’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal without any Republican votes.
“They are not willing to go as far as we need to go,” Mr. Biden said about Republicans in Congress. “What Republicans have proposed is either to do nothing or not enough.”
Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote in passing the budget resolution around 5:30 a.m. after a lengthy “vote-a-rama” on dozens of amendments. Passing the resolution was an important step in the process known as budget reconciliation, which allows legislation to pass in the Senate with only a simple majority instead of the typical 60-vote threshold. The House passed the budget resolution earlier this week.
How to watch Biden and Harris discuss the American Rescue Plan today
- What: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris discuss the American Rescue Plan and Mr. Biden makes remarks on the state of the U.S. economy
- Date: Friday, February 5, 2021
- Time: 3 p.m.: Harris and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hold a virtual roundtable with participants from local Black Chambers of Commerce from across the country about the American Rescue Plan.
- Online stream: Live on CBSN in the player above and on your mobile streaming device
Mr. Biden committed to providing $1,400 direct checks in his proposal, although he indicated that he was willing to “target” these checks so that people with a higher income don’t receive them. He said that the economic need was great, and that passing a small proposal would not do enough to help suffering Americans.
“The biggest risk is not going too big. It’s if we go too small,” Mr. Biden said.
After meeting with Democratic congressional leaders, Mr. Biden is then delivering remarks about the proposal, known as the “American Rescue Plan,” later Friday morning. Vice President Kamala Harris and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will also hold a virtual roundtable with participants from local Black Chambers of Commerce from across the country to discuss the proposal on Friday afternoon.
“We’ve got a chance to do something big here,” Mr. Biden said ahead of his meeting with congressional Democrats.
Now that both houses of Congress have passed the budget resolution, which serves as the vehicle for the legislation, committees can begin formulating a reconciliation bill itself. The final reconciliation bill will receive 20 hours of debate, and then another “vote-a-rama” before a vote in both chambers.
The final proposal passed in Congress may not be as large as Mr. Biden’s initial $1.9 trillion plan. One amendment approved during the “vote-a-rama” on Friday morning rejected a major component of the Biden plan: raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. In a voice vote, senators narrowly approved an amendment from Iowa Republican Joni Ernst that would ban the increase during a pandemic. The increase could be restored when the final measure is hashed out.
Meanwhile, Mr. Biden has continued talks with a group of 10 Republican senators who have proposed a $600 billion relief plan. On Thursday, the group sent a letter to Mr. Biden questioning the size of the president’s proposal, and encouraged the White House to continue bipartisan talks even as the budget reconciliation process moves forward.
