- A house committee approved Biden’s proposed $ 1,400 incentive vouchers with a party line vote.
- Different committees are working on different elements of Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion emergency package.
- The package could get a full vote in the House of Representatives in the week of February 22.
- Visit Insider’s Business section for more stories.
The House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday approved some of the measures of President Joe Biden’s stimulus package, including the controversial $ 1,400 direct payments to Americans.
In total, the committee approved $ 593.5 billion in benefits, dividing the vote along party lines, Bloomberg reported.
Biden’s proposed rescue package totals $ 1.9 trillion and includes, in addition to direct payments, $ 400 weekly federal unemployment benefits, an increased tax credit for children, and assistance to local and state governments.
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“The $ 600 rebates given by Congress in December have not done enough,” Democrat Suzan DelBene said on Thursday during committee talks, Bloomberg said. “This is a vital relief in helping families weather this crisis.”
The latest round of proposed stimulus checks was a controversial part of Biden’s package, with Republicans and some Democrats opposing the payments. Under Biden’s plan, $ 1,400 checks would be issued to individuals making $ 75,000 or less and couples making $ 150,000 or less.
However, the Democrats came up with a plan to instead pay out the payments to individuals making $ 50,000 or less, but that met backlash from progressives, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
On Tuesday, Biden indicated that he is in favor of maintaining the income limit for payments at $ 75,000 for individuals.
House Democrats introduced legislation on Monday in line with Biden’s original threshold plans, Insider previously reported. However, the legislation would limit the amount for people with higher incomes and phase out direct payments for individuals earning more than $ 100,000 and couples earning more than $ 200,000.
Several house committees are working on aspects of the stimulus package, so changes may be made to other parts of the plan before it is put to the vote. The chamber is expected to vote on the entire package in the week of Feb. 22, Bloomberg said.
The measures approved by the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday also include the past tax credits for children and the tax credits for low-income workers.