Biden shows flexibility but tells House to ''go big'' on aid

President Joe Biden told House Democrats on Wednesday hes not married to an absolute number on his USD 1.9 trillion COVID rescue plan but Congress needs to act fast on relief for the pandemic and the economic crisis.Biden also said he doesnt want to budge from his proposed 1,400 in direct payments to Americans.Look, we got a lot of people hurting in our country today, Biden said.

President Joe Biden told House Democrats on Wednesday he's ''not married'' to an absolute number on his USD 1.9 trillion COVID rescue plan but Congress needs to “act fast” on relief for the pandemic and the economic crisis.

Biden also said he doesn't want to budge from his proposed $1,400 in direct payments to Americans.

“Look, we got a lot of people hurting in our country today,” Biden said. “We need to act. We need to act fast. We need to restore the soul of the country.” Biden's remarks to the Democratic caucus were relayed by two people who requested anonymity to discuss the private conference call.

The meeting with House Democrats comes as the president steps up his public engagements with lawmakers on pandemic aid and an economic recovery package, together his first legislative priority. While Biden is trying to build bipartisan support from Republicans, he is also prepared to rely on the Democratic majority in Congress to approve his top agenda item. Biden was expected to reiterate that message later Wednesday during an Oval Office meeting with top Democratic senators.

He told House Democrats they could be flexible on some numbers but should not back down on the size or scope of the aid.

“We have to go big, not small,” Biden told the Democrats. “I've got your back, and you've got mine.'' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and top Democratic senators chairing various committees involved in drafting the package are meeting later Wednesday at the White House.

On Tuesday, Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined the Democratic senators for a private virtual meeting, both declaring the Republicans' USD 618 billion offer was too small.

As the White House reaches for a bipartisan bill, Democrats marshaled their ever-slim Senate majority, voting 50-49 on Tuesday to start a lengthy process for approving Biden's bill with or without Republican support. The goal is to have COVID-19 relief approved by March, when extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid expire.