President Joe Biden’s imperative of swiftly passing his $1.9 trillion pandemic-relief program faces one of its final hurdles: settling disputes among Senate Democrats over how to ensure aid gets to those who truly need it, Bloomberg News reported. With Republicans accusing Democrats of advancing a mammoth spending bill just as the economy is poised to accelerate, a handful of moderate senators is pushing for changes that reduce the risk of assistance flowing to households relatively unscathed by the crisis or to individuals who’d otherwise head back to work. The Biden administration has consistently argued that the risk of going too small is greater than the danger of excess spending. The president has urged Democrats, above all, to get the bill passed quickly. The Senate is planning to formally open debate on the pandemic-relief bill as soon as Wednesday afternoon. Senior Democratic lawmakers gave every indication that their caucus will be able to sort through the debate over potential tweaks to the proposed $400-a-week supplemental unemployment benefit and $1,400 stimulus checks included in the House version of the aid bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the package is on track to get to Biden by March 14, when the current benefit of $300 a week in help to the jobless runs out. The House version of the aid plan bumps that benefit up to $400 a week through August, and that’s been a point of contention. Joe Manchin of West Virgina and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire want to keep the level at $300. Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders is among those pushing for the higher total.
