No COVID Relief Plan After Biden Meets with 10 GOP Senators - Will Dems Play Ball, or Dodge a Deal?

WASHINGTON – There's no deal yet between President Biden and a group of 10 Republican senators who met with him in the Oval Office on Monday.

The two-hour meeting only ended with an agreement to keep the conversation going on Biden's plan for a massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.   

"We're very appreciative that as his first official meeting in the Oval Office the President chose to spend so much time with us," Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told reporters. 

President Joe Biden meets Republican lawmakers to discuss a COVID relief package, Feb. 1, 2021. From left, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The biggest roadblock is the price tag. Biden wants $1.9 trillion for his plan while Republicans are seeking $600 billion. Biden's plan calls for $1,400 checks for most Americans. Republicans want to cut that figure to $1,000 and only send checks to Americans with low-to-moderate incomes instead of people making six figures. 

Another item in the Democrat plan is a gradual increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. 

Despite the differences, there is some common ground though. Both sides would like to see $160 billion for vaccines and testing. Both sides also want extra weekly payments for people on unemployment, but Biden wants $400 extra per week and Republicans want $300 extra.

With control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, the ball is in Democrats' court, even though their majority in the House is razor-thin and split 50-50 in the Senate. But they could, in theory, bypass Republicans. The Democrats could do that by voting for their own bills in the Senate and House and then ramming a final version through during the reconciliation process.

“The cost of inaction is high and growing, and the time for decisive action is now," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said in a statement. 

CBN Chief Political Analyst David Brody says it could all come down to a power group of centrist senators. 

"Last time I checked, Joe Manchin's a Democrat, which means the Democrats are going to need his vote, along with Kyrsten Sinema and Jon Tester as well, another center-left Democrat," said Brody on CBN News' Faith Nation. "There's no guarantee that they're going to get all 50 Democrats on budget reconciliation so there is a gamble here."

Meanwhile, January marked the deadliest month on record for COVID and the spread of new, more contagious variants threatens a new surge. So far, only eight percent of Americans have been vaccinated, according to the CDC. 

On a more positive note, hospitalizations appear to be dropping. Thirty-eight states have at least 10 percent fewer people in hospital beds this week compared to last week.   

***As certain voices are censored and free speech platforms shut down, be sure to sign up for CBN News emails and the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving news from a Christian Perspective.***