A coalition of 10 Republican senators took a stimulus counterproposal to the White House, urging Joe Biden to scale back his ambitions for a sweeping USD 1.9 trillion pandemic aid package in favor of a plan less than one-third the size that they argued could garner the bipartisan consensus the new president has said he is seeking.

After a 2-hour meeting, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the leader of the Republican group, said the discussion had been excellent, though “I wouldn’t say that we came together on a package tonight”. She said Biden and the senators had agreed to continue their talks.

The Republicans’ USD 618 billion proposal would include many of the same elements as Biden’s plan, with USD 160 billion for vaccine distribution and development, COVID-19 testing and the production of personal protective equipment; USD 20 billion to help schools reopen; more relief for small businesses; additional aid to individuals. But it differs in ways large and small, omitting a federal minimum wage increase or direct aid to states and cities.

It would slash the direct payments to Americans, providing USD 1,000 instead of USD 1,400 and limiting them to the lowest income earners, excluding individuals who earned more than USD 50,000. It would also pare back federal jobless aid, which is set to lapse in March, setting weekly payments at USD 300 through June instead of USD 400 through September.