Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) admitted that Democrats’ partisan American Rescue Plan (ARP) was too pricey, but downplayed the bill’s effects on inflation.
The ARP, which came in with a top-line price tag of $1.9 trillion, was passed by Democrats in March 2021 with no Republican support.
The bill, marketed as a COVID relief package, faced significant GOP criticism. Because Democrats held a razor-thin majority in the Senate and a relatively slim majority in the House, the party was able to pass the almost $2 trillion package using the reconciliation process. Bills passed under the process are immune to filibuster, so there was nothing Senate Republicans could do to prevent Democrats from passing the package….