10 Things in Politics: Biden kicks off stimulus tour

  • Date: 17-Feb-2021
  • Source: Business Insider
  • Sector:Economy
  • Country:Middle East
  • Who else needs to know?

10 Things in Politics: Biden kicks off stimulus tour

Good morning! Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. I'm Brent Griffiths. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox each day.

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Here's what you need to know:

1. BIDEN GOES BIG AWAY FROM HOME: President Joe Biden isn't reducing his $1.9 trillion relief plan. Pitching his proposal during a prime-time town hall, Biden argued that now is not the time to be timid.

"Now is the time we should be spending. Now is the time to go big," the president told Wisconsinites in his first major trip outside of DC. Biden said that a smaller stimulus during the Great Recession complicated the recovery then.

Republicans aren't so sure. Right now, the counteroffer from a group of GOP senators stands at $618 billion. Many Republicans simply reject the argument that now is the time for massive spending. 

Democrats are still ready to ram this through. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said a full vote on the proposal could come next week. 

He who shall not be named: Biden went to great lengths to avoid talking about former President Donald Trump. At one point, he called Trump "the former guy" and later simply offered "I'm tired of