Republican senators request meeting with Biden on COVID relief plan

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Ten Republican senators, including Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, have penned a letter to President Joe Biden, offering a different COVID-19 relief package than the one proposed by the Biden Administration, and asking for a meeting.

Signed by Republican moderates, the letter dated Jan. 31 says they are reaching out in response to Biden’s pledge of bipartisanship. Half of those signing the letter were openly opposed to former President Donald Trump and voted in favor of proceeding with his second impeachment. They include Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

“In the spirit of bipartisanship and unity, we have developed a COVID-19 relief framework that builds on prior COVID assistance laws, all of which passed with bipartisan support. Our proposal reflects many of your stated priorities, and with your support, we believe that this plan could be approved quickly by Congress with bipartisan support. We request the opportunity to meet with you to discuss our proposal in greater detail and how we can work together to meet the needs of the American people during this persistent pandemic.

“Addressing this public health crisis has required robust and rapid support for vaccine development and distribution, testing and tracing, treatment and supplies, including the production and deployment of personal protective equipment. We agree with you that continuing to build our capacity in these areas is crucial to overcoming the pandemic. Like your plan, our proposal includes a total of $160 billion to enhance our capabilities in these areas as well as to support our health care providers, who are on the front lines of the pandemic. Our plan mirrors your request for $4 billion to bolster our behavioral health and substance abuse services.

“Our proposal also includes economic relief for those Americans with the greatest need, providing more targeted assistance than in the Administration’s plan. We propose an additional round of economic impact payments for those families who need assistance the most, including their dependent children and adults. Or plan also includes extending enhanced federal unemployment benefits at the current level and fully funding your request for nutrition assistance to help struggling families.

“We share your goal of providing additional assistance for our small businesses. Included in our plan are additional resources to help our small businesses and their employees through the successful Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.

“Getting our children back to school and making sure that schools are able to stay open safely are priorities that we strongly support. Our plan includes resources for these purposes as well as for child care, which is a critical component to getting Americans back to work.

“Finally, we note that billions of dollars remain unspent from the previous COVID relief packages. Just last month, Congress provided $900 billion in additional resources, and communities are only now receiving much of that assistance. Some of the spending appropriated through the CARES Act, passed last March, also has yet to be exhausted. The proposal we have outlined is mindful of these past efforts, while also acknowledging the priorities that need additional support right now.

“In 2020, Members of the House and Senate and the previous Administration came together on a bipartisan basis five times to direct the resources of the federal government toward combatting the urgent COVID-19 pandemic. Each of these laws received the support of members from both political parties. With your support, we believe Congress can once again craft a relief package that will provide meaningful, effective assistance to the American people and set us on a path to recovery.

“We recognize your calls for unity and want to work in good faith with your Administration to meet the health, economic, and societal challenges of the COVID crisis.”

21 COMMENTS

  1. These Turn Coats are going to get a harsh dose of reality when they learn the Democrats don’t want Bipartisan support they want them to kneel at their Alter.

  2. Does anyone thing the Democrats in the Senate or the House care one wit what these Senators think..?? and Biden will have no real idea what is going on during a meeting or the reason for a meeting!!!

  3. Biden and the liberal Democrats don’t want to hear about your “in the name of bipartisanship and unity” blather. They don’t even want the bipartisanship OR unity (even though they claim so in speeches). Those are just words Lisa. What they want is iron-fisted control and total conformance from the peons they rule. So step in line Lisa and stop wasting their time with your ridiculous requests.
    You would think that by now Lisa Murkowski and her anti-Trump ilk would have already figured that one out. She must be stupider than I thought. And I always thought she was pretty stupid.

  4. She’s a loser
    How much money, are you going to get for Alaska, Lisa ?

    Vote Lisa out in two years.
    I hope Trump comes to Alaska to campaign against her.
    That Would Be Sooooooo Awesome.

  5. Not a bad idea. But it is likely a futile effort. Biden is not running the show. It is the VP and a handful of progressives ie, The “squad and the likes of Warren and Sanders.
    The Dems will get what they want! And when they do it in the Senate by resolution or after eliminating the filibuster it will be the beginning of the un- curtailed growth of socialism.

  6. The election was stolen, the Congress rubber stamped this stolen election. The entire federal government is a captured Chinese Puppet Vichy Government. Anything they pass is by default unconstitutional. American Citizens have a patriotic duty to undermine this traitorous Vichy Govt when at all possible.

  7. I get it….. these 5 RINO’s spent political capital on the vote in favor of impeachment to cozy up to the gang in charge thinking that they are going to work in a bipartisan manner. Yeah, okay.

  8. I don’t even know why we have a Congress anymore, with the current and past presidents ruling the country through Executive Orders, bypassing Constitutional Congress. Save the money and send em all home, we have rulers anymore.
    Every last member of Congress, and every local, and state government past and present, who sit idly by, who choose to be a part of the corruption, or do Not stand for all of our Constitution are absolutely responsible for helping destroy our Country. And we the people are Not blameless either, but the people in the trenches on the hill fully know what they are doing, when they take part in allowing our country to fall.

  9. Read between the lines here. ” We traitors to our party and country after having stabbed the evil Orange Man and the American electoral system in the back, clothed in sack cloth and ashes now come before you, oh Great and Exalted King Biden’ and beg you to please toss us some scraps from your table”. We do this in the name of unity, (meaning we have assumed the position). Please graciously and with all mercy hear our petition. Kindly allow us to be in favor with your court so we can appear to be relevant with the town criers and get invited to lavish social functions in Washington D.C.
    Lisa and Mittens have forgotten what Ronald Reagan said, “negotiate from a position of strength not weakness”.

  10. We had two chances, really three, to get rid of Lisa and nothing doing. At the end of the day, her friends in the state party, media, and at DoE, always insure she comes out with enough votes. Now she has prop 2. Good luck. Take back Anchorage first and then I’ll believe we have a chance to take back this senate seat…

  11. And while you’re at it, you ought to bring up 42 Executive Orders, cancellation of Keystone XL and the halt of construction on the border wall. Cheers –

  12. So Lisa, Susan, Mitt, et. al. are now to meet with the guy they helped elect as President. Let’s see what their votes get them. I suspect little, if anything other than platitudes and shown the doorway out.

  13. The republican party of Alaska is useless, they allow this corrupt “republican” senator to go rouge and back the democrats with out one word. I’m completely done with the party. They survey no purpose. None!

  14. 48 Senators Pledge to Block Pro-Abortion Bills

    CV NEWS FEED // Sen. Steve Daines, R-MT, announced that he and 47 other senators will block any bill that would undermine the Hyde Amendment or other current protections for the unborn. The only “republicans” that didn’t were Lisa murkowski and Susan Collins.

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