Dems Push Forward on $1.9T Pandemic Aid; GOP Concerned with Cost

Congressional Democrats plan to move ahead on President Joe Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package next week, as Republican lawmakers criticize the cost and Democrats' purported inflexibility on the details. Instead of getting the 60 Senate votes usually needed to pass legislation, Democrats could use something called budget reconciliation to advance the proposal with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris. Budget reconciliation can be used once per fiscal year in the Senate to resolve budget-related issues; Republicans tried to use it twice during Trump's administration. Stimulus checks details remain a particular point of division. Some progressive Democrats have asked Biden to consider recurring stimulus payments; others are asking Biden to cut off payments for families earning over $75,000. Coverage on all sides of the spectrum explained the Senate rules that would allow Democrats to advance the legislation without any Republican support. Many left- and center-rated outlets highlight Democrat lawmakers' remarks about pushing ahead and the need for more relief. Many reports from right-rated outlets highlighted GOP concerns that the package is unnecessarily expensive, and that a forced effort from Democrats would damage efforts at congressional bipartisanship.