365NEWSX
365NEWSX
Subscribe

Welcome

Biden backs bipartisan stimulus plan, urging immediate action as economy stalls and virus surges - The Washington Post

Biden backs bipartisan stimulus plan, urging immediate action as economy stalls and virus surges - The Washington Post

Biden backs bipartisan stimulus plan, urging immediate action as economy stalls and virus surges - The Washington Post
Dec 05, 2020 2 mins, 26 secs

— President-elect Joe Biden injected himself more directly into congressional negotiations for an economic relief package Friday, encouraging fellow Democrats to get on board with a bipartisan, $908 billion deal even as some liberals blasted it as insufficient.

“I’m not alone in saying this situation is urgent — if we don’t act now, the future will be very bleak,” Biden said Friday, responding to a weaker-than-expected jobs report that showed an economy losing considerable steam as the coronavirus pandemic rages unabated.

The conflict over the long-delayed stimulus deal stands as an early test of Biden’s incoming administration, as it attempts to manage multiple crises while navigating a political minefield of entrenched acrimony between the political parties, and the emergence of competing factions within them.

The circumstances could create an impetus for a deal in Congress, as lawmakers from both parties showed an openness toward backing a stimulus proposal put forward by a bipartisan group of moderate lawmakers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who had spent months holding out for a multitrillion-dollar stimulus plan that Republicans repeatedly rejected, said Friday she was willing to accept a smaller bill now in part because of Biden’s electoral victory.

Biden declined twice Friday to say whether he has spoken with McConnell, who has not yet publicly acknowledged the president-elect’s victory.

In the past when asked the same question, Biden has said that he has not spoken with the GOP leader.

Claiming it would be “stupid” to talk publicly about how he negotiates with congressional leaders, Biden suggested Friday that he has been working behind the scenes to build support for an immediate stimulus package even as he plans to put forward his own proposal for more spending after taking office next month.

Asked about the stimulus payments and Sanders’s opposition, Biden said Friday that the current package “would be better” if the checks were included.

Biden has been in touch with key lawmakers on the Hill since before the election to discuss stimulus legislation, transition spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said.

Throughout the week, as the deal emerged, Biden encouraged the talks while repeatedly stating that a package would be only a first step on the road to a broader economic recovery.

“It’s not going to satisfy everybody,” Biden said, adding, “If you insist on everything, we’re likely to get nothing.”.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said the troubling jobs report and raging pandemic should encourage lawmakers to move quickly on the stimulus, even if it means Democrats accepting a smaller-than-desired deal.

Biden said he agrees with the general notion that first responders and people in nursing homes should be first in line to receive the vaccine.

The president-elect said he wants an event that will follow coronavirus precautions and said that means it’s unlikely there will be big crowds or a traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House

Summarized by 365NEWSX ROBOTS

RECENT NEWS

SUBSCRIBE

Get monthly updates and free resources.

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2024 365NEWSX - All RIGHTS RESERVED