The US Senate on Saturday voted to approve a US$1.9 trillion relief package in what US President Joe Biden called a “giant step” toward reviving the US economy, capping frenzied negotiations and a marathon overnight voting session.
Passed by 50 votes to 49, the sweeping legislation now heads back to the Democratic-majority US House of Representatives, where it is expected to be adopted, barring a last-minute setback.
“I promised the American people help was on the way,” said Biden in an address from the White House, after the plan was approved along strict party lines.
Photo: Reuters
“Today, I can say we’ve taken one more giant step forward in delivering on that promise,” he said. “It obviously wasn’t easy. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was so desperately needed.”
Even without the progressive priority of a minimum wage increase to US$15 an hour, the stimulus bill marks a victory for Biden’s Democrats as they put their stamp on the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 537,000 people in the US and hobbled its economy.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the bill “will deliver more help to more people than anything the federal government has done in decades.”
The legislation would send out US$1,400 stimulus checks to most Americans, and allocates US$350 billion to state and local governments and US$130 billion to schools.
It would also provide US$49 billion for expanded COVID-19 testing, tracing and research, and US$14 billion for vaccine distribution.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said that the chamber would take up the amended bill tomorrow, with a view to sending it to Biden for his signature early next week.
The huge bill almost fell apart. Senate action was paralyzed for more than 10 hours on Friday as Democrats scrambled to retain the support of their most conservative senator, Joe Manchin, who balked at the scale of jobless benefits.
It took a call from Biden and a cut in supplemental weekly unemployment insurance from US$400 to US$300, among other tweaks, to prevent Manchin from defecting.
“I don’t think any of the compromises have in any way fundamentally altered the essence of what I put in the bill in the first place... This plan is historic,” Biden said. “This plan will get checks out the door starting this month to the American people who so desperately need the help.”
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