Biden more likely to bypass Republicans on Covid stimulus aid after lowball offer

Ten Republican senators pitched plan with a reported $600bn - less than a third of the $1.9tn package the Biden team has laid out

Republicans senators made a lowball offer on Sunday to cooperate with the Biden administration on a new coronavirus relief package, increasing the likelihood that the White House will seek to bypass Republicans to fund its proposal.

A group of 10 Republican senators led by Susan Collins of Maine pitched Joe Biden a sketch of a relief plan with a reported $600bn total price tag - less than a third of the $1.9tn stimulus package the Biden team has laid out over the last days.