When Joe Biden met with some GOP Senators the other day, I wondered just how long it would be till he blew them off and moved on. The answer is “a couple days”
Days after an Oval Office meeting with Republican senators to discuss coronavirus relief, President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are barreling ahead with their own aid package and signaling they are ready to act without backing from Republicans demanding a much smaller plan.
Biden told House Democrats during a private call Wednesday that paring his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan down to the $618 billion proposed by 10 Senate Republicans was “not even in the cards.â€
Later, the president met with Senate Democrats in the Oval Office, where he expressed hope that some Republicans would come on board. “I think we’ll get some Republicans,†he said.
Biden campaigned on a pledge to bring bipartisanship back to Washington, but the White House has made it clear he won’t budge from his position that his COVID-19 relief legislation remain largely intact. During their meeting, Biden and Senate Democrats agreed on “the need to go big,†White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
He didn’t even give negotiation a chance, eh? He didn’t even try. He didn’t make a counteroffer. He didn’t attempt to do anything at all to be bipartisan. Who’s surprised? Any Republican who votes for Biden’s bill, which will have to be done through the reconciliation process (and might be unconstitutional, since it includes some things like a $15 minimum wage), can bet they will be primaried. People won’t forget.
Democrats said they are willing to look for areas of compromise with Republicans but stressed they are willing to go it alone if necessary.
“We want to do it bipartisan, but we must be strong,†said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “We cannot dawdle. We cannot delay. We cannot dilute. Because the troubles that this nation has and the opportunities that we can bring them are so large.”
By bipartisan he means “the GOP can support our package which is great for liberal beliefs or not, we aren’t giving them a damned thing.” As for dawdling, they did that for 8 months because they wanted to hurt President Trump.
McConnell threatened a host of amendments from Senate Republicans to force Democrats to take potentially controversial votes on denying funding to school districts that refused to reopen or on tax increases for small businesses.
Yeah, he does plan on blowing it up, and the debate and votes on those amendments cannot be blown off, they must be taken during a reconciliation.
In his private call with House Democrats, Biden told lawmakers he would not break “a promise to the American people†to provide $1,400 aid checks, according to a source who was on the call but not authorized to speak on the record.
His promise again and again was $2,000 checks. He never once said “a total of $2,00o which includes the $600 checks.” Anyhow, Mr. Unity and Coming Together started out with blowing off unity with his executive orders and now with COVID relief, so, if anyone thought of giving him a chance, it’s over at this point.
