On Tuesday, President Joe Biden met with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and nine other Senate Republicans who are seeking a bipartisan deal on another coronavirus (COVID-19) relief package. The group of Senators previously unveiled a $618 billion relief package to counter President Biden's $1.9 trillion proposal. The new proposal put forth by a group of Senate Republicans does not include monies for state and local governments.
Following the release of the Senate Republican plan, the National Association of Counties (NACo) responded to the proposal, citing encouragement in the bipartisan nature of the negotiations but criticizing the lack of critical aid to states and localities. Last week, NACo sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), calling on the leaders to immediately pass local government support featured in the Biden Administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, a proposal that includes $350 billion in critical aid to state, local and territorial governments. RCRC continues to advocate that any such plan to provide aid to counties must include a direct payment from the U.S. Treasury to counties regardless of a county’s size.
As discussions with Republican members of Congress occurred, Senate Democrats moved forward with the budget reconciliation process that would allow passage of the President's $1.9 trillion relief bill (which contains significant amounts of state and local assistance) with a simple majority vote, thereby circumventing the 60 vote filibuster rule in the U.S. Senate. The House of Representatives is slated to move forward as well; however, only a simple majority vote is required for passage in the House.