Bernie Sanders Says Democrats Can Pass Coronavirus Relief Without Republican Support

During an appearance on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed Democratic lawmakers have enough votes to pass a coronavirus relief package without Republican support, Breitbart reported.

“Yes, I believe that we do because it’s hard for me to imagine any Democrat, no matter what state he or she may come from, who doesn’t understand the need to go forward right now in an aggressive way to protect the working families of this country,” he said when asked if Democrats have enough support for a relief bill.

Sanders noted there are concerns with the current $1.9 trillion relief proposal but claimed that ultimately, Democratic lawmakers were going to back President Joe Biden’s proposal to provide relief to Americans amid the pandemic. The former presidential candidate said he was “absolutely confident” about his party’s backing for the bill and argued lawmakers must make good on the promises he believes played a significant role in the Georgia victories that helped Democrats take control of the Senate.

“We made promises to the American people. And if politics means anything, if you’re going to have any degree of creditability, you don’t want your campaign on a series of issues and then after the election when you get power say, oh well, you know what, changing our mind. That’s not the way it works.”

As noted by CNN, Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan includes an additional $1,400 for eligible Americans, extended unemployment aid of $400 per week, and rental assistance for low- and moderate-income households that have suffered job losses. The plan would also extend the boost in food stamp benefits through September and extend the federal eviction moratorium through the same period.

In response to the head of state’s relief bill, ten Senate Republicans proposed their own plan valued at $600 billion instead of $1.9 trillion, The Hill reported.

Biden previously expressed a desire for bipartisan backing for the forthcoming legislation. Nevertheless, he underlined the importance of passing a package regardless.

As The Inquisitr reported, Sanders isn’t the only lawmaker prepared to move forward on coronavirus relief without Republicans. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned Republicans that the Democratic Party will pass the legislation regardless of whether they support it.

Democrats have two options for passing the bill if all 50 0f them are on-board — they can either secure 10 GOP votes or use the process of reconciliation, which would allow them to pass the relief bundle with a simple majority using Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote.

Still, there are some signs of dissent within the Democratic Party. Notably, Reps. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota have raised issues with the president’s current proposal.