Biden Boosts Covid Aid as GOP Opposition Grows to $1.9 Trillion Stimulus

President Joe Biden turned to executive action to help Americans with finances depleted by the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, as his more ambitious legislative proposals face mounting opposition on Capitol Hill.

Biden directed his administration to boost food assistance for needy Americans and leverage federal contracts to improve pay for low-wage workers in executive orders signed Friday at the White House.

“Families are going hungry. People are at risk of being evicted. Job losses are mounting again,” Biden said. “We need to act.”

He also restored collective bargaining rights for federal workers and directed the Treasury Department to do more to help the estimated 8 million eligible Americans who haven’t yet received stimulus checks.

White House officials described the efforts as a down payment on broader economic efforts they’re pursuing as part of a $1.9 trillion stimulus package that includes additional direct payments to many Americans as well as billions of dollars in funding for vaccine manufacturing and distribution.

But key Senate Republicans -- including moderates like Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah -- have voiced opposition to the price tag. Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, is planning to speak with a group of 16 lawmakers Sunday to discuss the proposal.

“The bottom line is this we’re in a national emergency we need to act like we’re in a national emergency,” Biden said.

Complicating congressional action is former President Donald Trump’s looming impeachment trial in the Senate. On Friday, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he expected the House of Representatives to transmit the article of impeachment at the beginning of next week. A trial weighing Trump’s culpability for the insurrection at the Capitol building earlier this month could dominate the Senate calendar to the detriment of Biden’s legislative priorities and cabinet confirmations.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told donors on a video call Thursday night she had wanted to pass Biden’s Covid-19 relief legislation via the budget reconciliation process in two weeks, according to a person familiar with the comments. That process could eliminate the need for Republican support in the Senate by lowering the threshold for passage to a simple majority.

“These actions are not a substitute for comprehensive legislative relief but they will provide a critical lifeline to millions of familes,” Deese said of the executive actions at a briefing Friday.

As part of his unilateral push in the interim, the president is asking the Labor Department to issue guidance clarifying that workers can refuse employment that jeopardizes their health and still receive unemployment benefits. That could help service-industry and factory workers worried about the spread of the coronavirus to stay home from work.

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