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Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the incoming chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said Sunday that Democrats would use a rare procedural tactic to pass major parts of a Covid-19 relief package if Republicans refuse to move on the measure. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" that Democrats will use the move -- known as reconciliation -- "as soon as we possibly can" to pass the package by 51 votes in the Senate, rather than 60, if Republicans don't move the legislation. (Diaz, 1/24)

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday said Senate Democrats would pass a Covid-19 relief bill as soon as possible through budget reconciliation, which would allow the package to pass with a simple majority vote rather than with the support of 60 senators. “We are going to use reconciliation, that is 50 votes in the Senate plus the vice president, to pass legislation desperately needed by working families in this country right now,” the Vermont senator told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” on Sunday. The new Senate stands on 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote when needed. (Hooper, 1/24)

Officials in President Biden’s administration on Sunday held a call with a bipartisan group of senators to discuss the White House’s proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Several senators confirmed their participation in the call, with a couple of Democratic senators describing the conversation as “productive.” (Coleman, 1/24)

A bipartisan group of senators told White House officials on Sunday that the stimulus spending in President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief plan provides too much money to high-income Americans, an opening setback in the new administration's complex pandemic negotiations with Congress. Biden’s proposal would provide $1,400 direct payments to Americans, some of whom senators say don’t need the money. Still, the discussion was civil and there was a “consensus” on the need to act urgently on vaccine distribution, said multiple senators on the call. It was also a sign that the Biden White House will be more hands on than former President Donald Trump, who nearly refused to sign the last relief bill after making a flurry of last-minute requests after the bill already passed Congress. (Barron-Lopez and Everett, 1/24)

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Sunday called the total cost of President Biden's coronavirus relief package – $1.9 trillion – “pretty shocking,” though he expressed openness to considering portions of the White House's proposal. "Fox News Sunday's" Chris Wallace asked Romney if there were any parts of Biden’s plan he would consider, noting that Romney had said he was not in favor of passing another stimulus following the $900 billion bill that was signed into law in December. (Choi, 1/24)

More than two-thirds of Americans approve of President Biden’s response to the coronavirus pandemic days after he was inaugurated, according to a poll released on Sunday. The ABC News/Ipsos poll determined that 69 percent of respondents approved of Biden’s handling of the pandemic in his first few days as president, a difference from former President Trump’s mostly underwater ratings on the same issue. (Coleman, 1/24)