United States President Joe Biden speaks after signing an Ordinance on American Manufacturing in the South Court Auditorium of the White House Complex in Washington, DC on January 25, 2021.
Drew Angerer | Getty Images
President Joe Biden’s coronavirus bailout plan and two of his key economic provisions have widespread support as Democrats try to get him through Congress. This was the result of a poll published on Wednesday.
More than two-thirds, or 68%, of Americans support the $ 1.9 trillion package, the Quinnipiac University poll found. Only 24% of those questioned reject the measure.
The $ 1,400 direct payments included in the plan, a major sticking point in law negotiation by lawmakers, are more popular than the overall proposal. The survey found that 78% of Americans support the stimulus checks and 18% are against it.
According to the survey, respondents also support Biden’s demand for a minimum wage of USD 15 per hour for the federal government with a margin of 61% to 36%. However, Democrats may not be able to include the provision in their bill to meet the budget vote, which allows them to pass laws without Republican support.
The poll and others showing broad support for Biden’s plan among Americans come as Democrats are unlikely to win Republican votes for the package. A group of the GOP’s most centrist senators, cautious after Congress passed a $ 900 billion aid bill in December, offered Biden a $ 618 billion plan.
Biden and Democratic leaders have said the Republican proposal does not go far enough to address the crisis. Democrats have begun self-approval as Parliament plans on Wednesday to pass the budget resolution that will launch the reconciliation process.
Despite signs of GOP skepticism, Biden believes he can win support across the aisle.
“I think we’re going to get some Republicans,” he told reporters on Wednesday ahead of a meeting with the Democratic Senate chairmen who will draft the bill.
The Quinnipiac poll followed a Yahoo News / YouGov poll that supported key guidelines in Biden’s plan. There was widespread support for provisions such as direct payments, funding for vaccine distribution, and the minimum wage of $ 15 an hour.
The size and scope of the direct payments have proven to be the most controversial part of Biden’s plan within his own party. Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat whose opposition alone would sink the Senate bill, said he wanted to tighten controls. As previously suggested, they would be phased out on an individual income of $ 75,000.
Earlier on Wednesday, Biden told House Democrats he was open to restricting eligibility for the payments but would not cut the amount, CNBC confirmed. The president said he would not break a promise to mail the checks, a key point he and Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff made during the Georgia runoff election that sealed Senate control to Democrats.
Among other things, the Biden plan would introduce $ 400 weekly unemployment benefits through September, send $ 350 billion to state and local governments, invest $ 20 billion in a national vaccination program, and provide more funding for rent and mortgage assistance.
The Quinnipiac survey, conducted Thursday through Monday, polled 1,075 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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