The Biden administration would prefer to negotiate a bipartisan COVID-19 aid bill but is prepared for congressional Democrats to act unilaterally to economic stimulus legislation enacted, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday.
In her first press briefing of Joe Biden’s presidency, Psaki said it’s the administration’s “clear preference” to hammer out a deal that includes Republican lawmakers. But she alluded to other legislative tools, such as budget reconciliation, a Senate parliamentary move requiring a bill to win support from a majority of lawmakers, rather than the 60 it takes to overcome a filibuster.
Another possibility is ending the legislative filibuster altogether, a possibility Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to take off the table as he negotiates a power-sharing agreement in the Senate, split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking ties.
Biden, previously a 36-year Delaware senator and two-term vice president, “is no stranger to the process of deal-making,” Psaki said. The president’s “clear preference” is for a bipartisan deal, Psaki said.
But Psaki warned, “We are not going to take any tools off the table.”
Biden announced a coronavirus package in the trillions of dollars this month, calling for direct relief and a $15 minimum wage.
Psaki also introduced more than a dozen new executive orders signed by Biden on his first day in office, announcing a return to the World Health Organization and a new immigration bill, and said to expect news on the Defense Production Act on Thursday.
Biden’s new press secretary is a veteran of the Obama administration, where she held press and spokeswoman positions at the White House and State Department.
In Psaki’s remarks, she emphasized “truth and transparency” and “rebuilding trust.”
“There will be times when we see things differently in this room, among us all, and that’s OK,” she said.
Briefings would occur Monday through Friday but not on weekends.
“I’m not a monster,” Psaki quipped.
