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Inside (the Beltway) Scoop

By: Ellen Kuo
Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Negotiations Are Underway to Reach Agreement on a COVID Relief Package While Statutory Deadline for President’s Budget Is Missed; President Biden Wastes No Time Issuing Executive Orders

Ten Republican senators have developed a smaller $618 billion proposal outlining their COVID relief compromise to the White House’s version released a few weeks ago. The senators met with President Biden on February 1 to discuss their differences. For example, their package removes all money for state and local aid but keeps the $160 billion in direct COVID response provisions, $50 billion for testing expansion, and $20 billion for a vaccine program.

With a smaller bill it is hoped a bipartisan agreement can be reached with the White House since the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan favored by the president has caused Democrats to begin planning to move parts of Biden’s plan via the budget reconciliation process. Reconciliation allows a bill to pass with only a simple majority rather than garnering bipartisan support. On February 1, John Yarmuth (D-KY), Chair of the House Budget Committee, introduced H. Con. Res. 11, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2021, to provide Congress with the option of using a reconciliation measure to provide critical COVID relief with an accompanying report outlining the resolution’s budget reconciliation framework and setting a budgetary target of up to $1.9 trillion. A similar resolution, S. Con. Res. 5, was submitted for consideration in the Senate. Multiple committees in both chambers are to report legislation consistent with these budgetary targets by February 16.

Determining how to improve the effectiveness of the COVID plan is on the table but not splitting up the plan according to the White House. Another potential point of resistance comes from the Congressional Budget Office, which says it sees the U.S. economy recovering from the pandemic much faster than expected.

Since March 2019, Congress has passed five bipartisan COVID relief bills and provided more than $4 trillion in relief. The latest relief was signed into law on December 27, 2020.

Meanwhile, the President missed the statutory deadline of February 1 to submit his first budget to the 117th Congress. Ranking House Budget Committee member Jason Smith (R-MO) sent a letter requesting transparency in the President’s fiscal year 2022 budget so it is clear how campaign promises will be paid for and “where taxes will be raised.”

The rapid work taking place just weeks into this presidency has increased attention by organizations such as FASEB to closely read the Executive Orders (EOs) coming from President Biden’s desk. EOs are the best-known type of presidential directives and have a significant impact on policy. Directed at executive branch officials, EOs often instruct agencies how to manage operations, thereby impacting the citizenry. In addition, EOs generally do not include sunsets or other time limitations.

The rapid work taking place just weeks into this presidency has increased attention by organizations such as FASEB to closely read the Executive Orders (EOs) coming from President Biden’s desk. EOs are the best-known type of presidential directives and have a significant impact on policy. Directed at executive branch officials, EOs often instruct agencies how to manage operations, thereby impacting the citizenry. In addition, EOs generally do not include sunsets or other time limitations.

Biden’s EOs are far ranging in overturning previous Trump era EOs as well as pushing forward the new administration’s policy agenda such as:

  • Advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the federal government
  • Organizing and mobilizing the U.S. government to provide a unified and effective response to combat COVID-19 and to provide U.S. leadership on global health and security
  • Preventing and combating discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation
  • Ethics commitments by executive branch personnel
  • Protecting the federal workforce and requiring mask-wearing

Congress also requires that EOs be published in the Federal Register, allowing for public and legislative oversight of executive branch actions. They can also be found on Whitehouse.gov.