Schumer: Democrats must pass virus aid with or without GOP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that Democrats are preparing to push ahead quickly on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package even if it means using procedural tools to pass the legislation on their own, leaving Republicans behind.

Schumer told Senate Democrats to be ready as soon as next week to consider a budget resolution that would lay the groundwork for swift passage of the sweeping virus aid and economic recovery act. It could be done with a simple 51-vote majority in the Senate, rather than the usual 60-vote threshold that is needed.

“The work must move forward, preferably with our Republican colleagues, but without them if we must," Schumer said after a private meeting of Democratic senators. "Time is of the essence to address this crisis. We're keeping all options open on the table.”

Unwilling to wait for Republicans who say the price tag of Biden’s COVID-19 relief is too high and the priorities too far-reaching, Democrats are flexing their newfound power as they take control of the Senate alongside the House and White House. It is the first time the party has held unified control in Washington in a decade.

The fast-moving events from the new majority on Capitol Hill come as the White House has been meeting privately with groups of Republican and Democratic lawmakers in hopes of striking a bipartisan agreement over COVID-19 aid, a first test of Biden's “unity” agenda.

The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus of more than 50 House lawmakers are set to meet virtually Tuesday with top administration officials on the virus aid and economic recovery package.

The next steps remain highly fluid. The dozen senators emerging from a lengthy private meeting with the White House on Sunday evening said they would talk on their own to try to craft a more...