LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Congressman John Yarmuth, D-KY, says he's ready to help deliver one of President Joe Biden's big campaign promises. Right now, the chair of the House Committee on the Budget is putting the wheels in motion to help pass a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, which would extend unemployment benefits, help fund vaccine distribution, and provide many Americans a $1,400 dollar stimulus check.
In an interview with WDRB News on Thursday, Yarmuth says there are "two tracks" the bill could take.
Democrats could strike a compromise with Republicans, but so far, that hasn't happened despite a White House meeting between ten Republicans and President Biden.
Alternatively, Yarmuth said Democrats are ready to use a legislative mechanism called reconciliation, a process that would shield the Democrats from a filibuster in the Senate and allow them to pass the stimulus plan straight down party lines.
Wednesday, the House passed a resolution introduced by Yarmuth that begins the reconciliation process, and he says Congressional Democrats are ready to take that track, barring a compromise.
"We have a deadline of March 14th," he said. "That's when unemployment supplements expire from the past bill, and we can't leave a gap for those 18 million people."
Meanwhile, Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY, isn't happy with the thought of Democrats using the process of reconciliation, even though it's one he used in 2017 while majority leader.
"The new president talks a lot about unity, but his White House staff and congressional leadership are working with a different playbook," he said during a Senate floor speech on Wednesday.
He and Republicans plan to fight the resolution with a number of amendments.
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