Will Biden’s 2,100 trillion won support plan exceed the Senate? NYT “may change drastically”

Joe Biden’s US administration and the Democratic Party’s $1.9 trillion (about 2,140 trillion won) economic stimulus bill passed through the House of Representatives on the 27th (local time) and entered the Senate. As the Senate announced a major amendment to the bill, the scale and timing of the stimulus bill became unclear.

The reason why uncertainty has emerged in the handling of the economic stimulus bill is that the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are moving toward’party vote’ rather than reaching consensus. The House of Representatives voted 212 in favor of 219 units in favor of the economic stimulus plan, called the’American Rescue Plan’. This was strictly dependent on the party to which they belong. All Republican lawmakers opposed it, and in the Democratic Party, all but two agreed.

The bill passed to the Senate is also facing a voting war. This time, not only the vote confrontation between the Republicans and the Democrats, but also signs of a rift between the progressive camps and the centers in the Democratic Party.

The detonator is a proposal to raise the minimum wage that the Democratic Party has put into the bill. The Democratic Party included a proposal to boost the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) economy passed by the House of Representatives, saying, “By 2025, the federal minimum wage will be increased from $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour.” It is President Biden’s presidential election pledge and a policy strongly pushed by the Democratic progressive camp.

However, amendments to the bill became inevitable as the Senate secretariat presented a voter interpretation that incorporating a minimum wage increase into an economic stimulus plan would violate budget rules. Typically, 60 out of 100 votes are required to pass a budget bill in the Senate. Even if all 50 Democratic senators approve, at least 10 Republicans must be persuaded.

The Democratic Party predicted that it would be difficult to pass the bill against the Republican Party in a situation where the Republican Party had 50-50 seats. In this case, a simple majority of 50 people may approve.

The Democratic Party included this clause as a strong demand from the progressives, knowing that the proposed minimum wage increase would violate Senate regulations. Democratic liberals insist that the Senate secretary, who gave the interpretation of votes, should be fired or the regulations should be removed to pass the economic stimulus bill as original, but the White House drew a line that President Biden had no plans to do so.

For now, it is influential for the Senate to amend or delete the minimum wage increase clause to vote on the bill, then return it to the House of Representatives to vote again. Some Democrats are considering a detour that pressures companies to raise the minimum wage by raising taxes or fines for companies that do not pay their workers a minimum wage of $15.

The Democratic Party is in a position that it will need $1.9 trillion in budget to save the economy damaged by Corona 19 and to support Americans whose lives are in trouble due to long blockades. The Democratic Party argues that the Republican Party’s opposition to the bill is to slow the economic recovery and take a better position in the next midterm elections.

The Republican Party, on the other hand, has executed its stimulus budget three times last year, and the economy is showing signs of a little bit of a revival. “This is not a corona 19 relief bill” (Kevin McCarthy, Republican Senate Representative), saying that the Democratic Party has added a number of policies that it had in mind as a precaution to overcome Corona 19.

If the Democratic Party and the Republican Party enter into negotiations to amend the bill, it is unclear whether it will be legislated by March 14, as the White House originally hoped, or whether the $1.9 trillion scale will be maintained. The New York Times predicted that “the bill could change significantly during the Senate review process.” The stimulus bill passed the House of Representatives paid $1,400 in cash per capita to most Americans, extended additional unemployment benefits, expanded vaccinations and tests, and funded support for school normalization.

“We don’t have time to waste,” President Biden said shortly after the bill passed. “If we act decisively, quickly and boldly, we can beat the virus and the economy can move forward.”

The economic stimulus plan is the most important legislation after President Biden took office. As such, his national integration and leadership in state administration were put to the test. If the House of Representatives failed to persuade the Republican Party, and the Senate invokes the right to adjust the budget and unilaterally handles the bill, the credibility of the state administration could be adversely affected. On the other hand, in the progressive camp within the Democratic Party, there are little complaints about President Biden being too moderate.

Washington = Correspondent Park Hyun-young [email protected]