President Biden urged Senate Democrats in a call yesterday to “go big” and move quickly on a COVID-19 relief bill, signaling that he is rejecting a $618 billion proposal sponsored by 10 GOP senators as “too small” even though he is open to some of their ideas, The Hill reported. “It was clear,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) after the call. “Go big and be prompt because the American public is really hurting and really needs this.” Biden told Democrats that his clear preference is for Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion package, despite concerns voiced by Republicans about the impact on the deficit. Kaine said Biden didn’t close any doors to working with Republicans but he wants Democrats to move a large package immediately, which means it’s almost certain to need to move under a special process known as budget reconciliation to be able to pass with a simple majority vote. Read more.
In related news, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) on Tuesday introduced a bill aimed at providing tax relief to people who received unemployment benefits last year amid the coronavirus pandemic, The Hill reported. The legislation would exempt from federal income taxes the first $10,200 in unemployment benefits that taxpayers received last year. Both people who received unemployment benefits through federal programs and people who received benefits through state programs would be eligible for the tax relief, according to a news release from the lawmakers. Read more.
