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| - US President Joe Biden will on Monday meet with a group of Republican senators who have proposed an alternative to his massive Covid-19 relief plan, but their measure excludes key programs Democrats consider essential. Biden, who campaigned on restoring bipartisanship in Washington, has proposed spending $1.9 trillion to revitalize the world's largest economy after the pandemic caused waves of layoffs last year, but Republicans in Congress have said they won't support such a large package. On Sunday, a group of 10 Republicans unveiled a measure costing $600 billion, and Biden is set to meet with them later on Monday. But an outline of the bill shows it excludes aid to state and local governments that Democrats say any package must have, and also lowers the amount of stimulus checks to $1,000 from the $1,400 Biden has proposed, while also tightening eligibility. The proposal, as written, is unlikely to find support from lawmakers in Biden's Democratic party, and the president on Monday continued to promote his plan. "We're facing an economic crisis brought on by a public health crisis, and we need urgent action to combat both," Biden tweeted. "My American Rescue Plan will dig us out of the depths of these crises and put our nation on a path to build back better." In a sign of the economy's ill health, the government last week said that the number of new applications for unemployment aid received weekly was at 1.3 million, an enormous number 10 months after business shutdowns to stop the virus first began. Biden unveiled his plan on January 14, saying it was urgently needed to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control and pull the nation out of a deep economic slump. The package would pay for another round of stimulus checks and help schools safely reopen, accelerate Covid-19 testing and vaccine distribution, financially support small businesses and increase food aid for those in need. Republicans say the bill is far too costly at a time of historic debt levels, and with Congress having already committed some $4 trillion to pandemic relief, including $900 billion in December. They want aid more closely targeted to those in need. Their plan's outline shows it apportions a total of $160 billion to fight the pandemic, including $20 billion for a national vaccine program and $50 billion to expand testing. It also includes $132 billion to extend emergency unemployment provisions through June, but whereas Biden's proposal includes $350 billion in state and local aid, the Republicans' includes zero. Their plan is backed by 10 senators including party heavyweights like Mitt Romney, the 2012 candidate for president, and Rob Portman, a former director of the Office of Management and Budget. If Biden is to achieve his goal of bipartisanship, such a group could prove crucial. If Senate Democrats hold together, 10 Republican votes would give them enough support to pass the president's plan under normal procedure, which requires 60 out of 100 votes. Democrats have said they will otherwise turn to a process known as reconciliation, which would allow passage with a simple majority. cs/bgs
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