The politics of the r letter, as we laid out in @PunchbowlNews special edition this am
→ The Senate GOP letter comes as Democratic leaders on the hill # are preparing to move forward this week on Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief package -- with or without Republican support.
Red state Democrat Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.) said this on CNN’s Inside Politics Sunday morning: “I don't think $1.9 trillion, even though it is a boatload of money, is too much money. I think now is not the time to starve the economy.”
→ It shows the political scramble around Covid relief now that Biden is in the Oval Office. Many of these GOP senators are in the Senate Sweet 16™ group. But this proposal is Republican only.
→ It’s a signal to the White House and Democrats that there are 10 Republicans locked into a set of policies. But these policies fall far short of what Biden wants. 50ds plus 10 rs equals 60 -- and that’s number you need to get a bill through the Senate outside reconciliation.
→ The GOP senators involved are branding this proposal as “targeted” -- the opposite of the “big and bold” proposal Democrats are trumpeting.
→ This won’t be enough for the House and Sen d leadership. They’ll want more. Will this group of Rs be open to that kind of negotiating? And can they stay together under pressure from Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and others on the right? Will Biden be tempted to negotiate?
In sum, this specific proposal isn’t going anywhere, of course. Democrats are already barrelling toward a one-party plan. But it does show what 10 Republicans are willing to support.
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→ 10 Rs wrote a letter to @JoeBiden proposing a pared back Covid relief bill. Ds spent all day dismissing it as half baked and as evidence Rs were not serious.
@JoeBiden@SenatorCollins@AOC@SpeakerPelosi → As Biden huddles with Collins and Co., Democrats have to figure out how to pass a budget and assemble a Covid-relief package. They have to thread the needle between the two poles in their caucus: @SenSanders and @Sen_JoeManchin.
We can’t speak for every R or D in the Sweet 16™, but we can say this without a doubt: There’s frustration on the R side that @JoeBiden, @SenSchumer (N.Y.) & Ds appear headed toward taking a one-party approach to Covid relief
Dems controlled all of govt. it took them forever to pass obamacare bc they first waited for Rs to support. then they squirmed
They later regretted doing too little too late. unemployment went to 10%. they lost the majority
Fast-forward to today. Democrats control the White House and Congress again. A new Democratic president faces multiple crises, including a pandemic and severe economic downturn. The federal government has spent trillions of dollars to try to prop up the sputtering economy
Dems want another $1.9 trillion for Covid relief. Some Rs are suggesting they will cooperate -- just like they did in 2009 -- but this time, Democrats say they won’t go halfway or wait to see if Republicans join their efforts.
Sanders doesn’t really seem to like questions about when he will confirm Neera Tanden, President @JoeBiden pick to run the Office of Management and Budget.
@PunchbowlNews@SenSanders@neeratanden@JoeBiden Speaking to reporters last week, Sanders didn’t commit to moving Tanden’s nomination before the Budget Committee finishes putting together a resolution that can be used for Biden’s “American Rescue Plan.”
“I don’t know honestly, we’re working on it,” Sanders said when asked whether Tanden’s nomination may be approved before work on the Covid package is complete.
With fight over the filibuster likely done for now, it’s worth going over what the first few months of this year are going to look like in the upcoming battles between the Democratic leadership and the left. It ain’t pretty
@PunchbowlNews → The filibuster is intact, and that means President Joe Biden’s agenda is going to face serious challenges. But guess what: It’s not just Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema who are against blowing it up.
@PunchbowlNews → Impeachment will likely result in Donald Trump being acquitted. Will they censure him to ensure some punishment?
→ The $1.9 trillion Covid relief package Biden wants faces a massively difficult slog to the finish line.