Biden's 1st 100 days live updates: Senate passes COVID relief bill along party lines

The final vote was 50-49.

Today is Day 46 of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.


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Collins 'increasingly convinced' Dems, White House disinterested in compromise

As the COVID-19 relief debate moves forward in the Senate, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Monday night that she is "increasingly convinced" there won't be a compromise on a relief bill.

"I'm becoming increasingly convinced that, regrettably, there is not as much interest as that I would like to see on the Democratic side of the aisle and the White House in trying to come to a compromise," Collins said. "And I don't understand how the White House can describe a bill that passed the House without a single Republican vote as being bipartisan -- what was bipartisan was the opposition to the bill."

Collins was part of a bipartisan group that helped move the last COVID-19 relief bill through the Senate. But now, Collins said it's "up to Chuck Schumer and the White House whether they are interested in trying to gain some Republican support or not."

Collins said Democrats are being similarly uncompromising on the minimum wage, which they would like raised to $15.

"The minimum wage could be brought to the floor as a separate bill and I believe that a $10 minimum wage would pass," Collins said. "That would make life so much better for so many low-income workers and yet the approach that's been taken is all or nothing on 15. I don't understand that."

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin


Romney, sporting black eye, quips he went to CPAC

Sen. Mitt Romney returned to the Capitol Monday with a black eye. When reporters asked what happened, he joked that he went to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, where former President Donald Trump and other conservative opponents had gathered this weekend.

"Yeah, I had kind of a tough, tough weekend," he said. "You see that? Look at what I got. I went to CPAC, that was a problem."

In reality, he said he took a fall and was knocked unconscious while he was in Boston with his grandchildren. He was taken to the hospital and given "a lot of stitches" through his eyebrow and lip.

-ABC News' Trish Turner


Sanders to propose budget bill amendment on minimum wage increase

Sen. Bernie Sanders told reporters Monday night he is determined to fight for the minimum wage increase and will offer an amendment to the budget reconciliation bill.

"To the best of my knowledge there will be a vote on the minimum wage and we'll see what happens but I intend to offer that bill that will raise the minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour and we'll see how the votes go," Sanders said. "There will be a roll call vote and we'll see who is going to vote for it and who is not going to vote for it."

Sanders will try to force a vote on the minimum wage during the upcoming vote-a-rama on the budget reconciliation bill. His amendment, he said, will most likely add the minimum wage proposal back into the budget bill after the parliamentarian ruled last week that the current minimum wage raise cannot remain in the House-passed bill.

Democrats are under a tight deadline to pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan before March 14, when some coronavirus stimulus measures expire, including federally boosted jobless benefits.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin


Murkowski met with Tanden, but remains undecided on her nomination

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, confirmed that she met in person with Neera Tanden to discuss her nomination to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget, but said she remains undecided on whether she would vote in Tanden's favor.

“I am still doing my assessment,” she said when asked repeatedly if she would support the nominee.

She also said she has “some more follow-up questions but we had a good conversation.”

Tanden's confirmation came into question last month, when Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced that he would break with his party and vote against Tanden's nomination, citing past tweets with strong language critical of Republican members of Congress and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., many of which were deleted prior to her nomination.

Since then, the list of moderate Republicans opposing Tanden for the role has grown and in the evenly divided Senate, she needs support from a Republican.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin