A group of Senate Republicans outlined their roughly $618 billion coronavirus-relief offer Monday, including a round of $1,000 direct checks for many adults, as Democrats began a process that would allow them to pass President Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan along party lines, the Wall Street Journal reported. The 10 Republican senators met with Biden yesterday to discuss their proposal, which would provide $300 a week in enhanced federal unemployment benefits through June, versus the $400 a week through September in the Biden plan. The GOP proposal also outlines $20 billion each for child care and schools — both lower than the Biden proposal — as well as $50 billion for small-business relief and $160 billion for vaccines, testing and protective equipment, according to a summary released yesterday. The proposal omits measures favored by many Democrats, such as aid for state and local governments and a plan to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. The meeting lasted roughly two hours, and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said that the two sides explained their proposals further and agreed to keep talking. Nine senators joined in person, with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) attending remotely.
