Bloomberg Quicktake's video: Biden Calls Republican Progressive Senators as Covid Stimulus Hits Roadblocks

President Joe Biden is personally reaching out to Republican lawmakers amid a cool reception from the party for his $1.9 trillion stimulus plan. Maine Senator Susan Collins spoke with Biden on Tuesday, telling reporters on Thursday: “It was a very friendly call. I’ve known him for years.” Ohio Senator Rob Portman also spoke with Biden this week, NBC News reported Thursday. Winning bipartisan support for the stimulus -- Biden’s stated goal -- would enable the plan to move more quickly through Congress. Democrats in Congress are also preparing to proceed alone through a process called budget reconciliation, which would take longer and potentially remove some pieces from consideration. Democrats are signaling they are going to move ahead with reconciliation next week, and Republicans are saying that this will hinder any attempt to do a bipartisan bill. “It’s certainly not helpful,” said Collins. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake