In 2008, President Barack Obama prioritized getting Republican lawmakers to support a stimulus bill in the middle of an economic crisis. The effort did not go well — the legislation ended up being far smaller than necessary, the effort to appease Republicans ended up garnering barely any GOP votes for the bill in Congress, and America was left with one of the slowest economic recoveries in history.

Twelve years later, amid an economic emergency, the lesson of this cautionary tale is apparently still lost on Obama’s vice president, Joe Biden, who will become president next week. According to Bloomberg News, “Biden will seek a deal with Republicans on another round of COVID-19 relief, rather than attempting to ram a package through without their support.”

Bloomberg adds: “The approach could mean a smaller initial package that features some priorities favored by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. The idea is to forgo using a special budget process that would remove the need to get the support of at least 10 Republicans in the Senate.”