Washington – The House approved the final version of President Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus bill On Wednesday, he handed the new president a major legislative victory as he works to stabilize an economy that is still struggling to recover from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill, known as the American Rescue Plan Act, passed by a vote of 220 to 211. A Democrat — Representative Jared Golden from Maine — joined all Republicans to vote against the measure. Golden had previously voted against the House version of the bill passed last week. The legislation will soon go to Mr. Biden’s office, where he will sign it Friday, the White House said. The Senate passed the bill along party lines after a marathon vote on Saturday.
Just 49 days after his presidency, Mr. Biden has assured himself of what could prove to be the defining achievement of his presidency, injecting hundreds of billions of dollars into the economy and bolstering his government’s efforts to speed up vaccinations, educate schools. reopen and get unemployed Americans. back to work. The President, Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden plan to travel to promote the package once it has been approved by Congress and signed into law on Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
Mr. Biden celebrated the approval of his plan in the wake of the House vote and praised House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called her “ the best and most capable speaker in our nation’s history ” as she led the package through Congress and maintained the unit. House Democrats.
“This legislation is about giving the backbone of this country – the essential workers, the working people who built this country, the people who run this country – a chance to fight,” the president said.
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Democratic members of the House and Senate met for a registration ceremony after the bill passed, with Democratic leaders signing the legislation in the final step before going to the White House to have Mr. Biden signed.
“This is a momentous day in our country’s history as we have passed historic, consistent and transformative legislation,” Pelosi said in comments, noting that for many Democrats, this is the most consistent legislation that many of us will ever party to. to be. to.”
Senate leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats have kept their promise to bring relief to the American people if Georgia voters elect a pair of Democrats in the upper chamber, achieving a 50-50 split, with Harris casting a tie.
“What do we say to America?” he said. “We say to America,” Help is on the way. “
The bill’s swift passage is reminiscent of former President Barack Obama’s successful bid for the U.S. Recovery and Reinvestment Act shortly after taking office in 2009 to address the Great Recession. But that bill cost less than half of the US bailout, and Mr. Biden, who was vice president at the time, seems to have concluded that getting bigger is better, even if it means sacrificing some bipartisan support.
The American Rescue Plan provides for direct payments of $ 1,400 to individuals up to $ 75,000 per year, $ 350 billion in aid to state and local governments, and $ 14 billion in vaccine distribution. The bill also provides $ 130 billion to elementary, middle, and high schools to aid in a safe reopening.
It includes an additional $ 300 billion in weekly unemployment benefits through September and an expanded tax credit of up to $ 3,600 per child, initially divided into monthly installments. According to an analysis by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the tax credit for children could lift 4 million children out of poverty.
More than $ 50 billion will be distributed to small businesses, including $ 7 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program. The bill also provides $ 25 billion in emergency relief for small and medium-sized restaurants, which suffered significantly during the pandemic.
The measure extends entitlement to health insurance grants to people of all incomes under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a provision that has been particularly controversial for Republicans opposed to the bill. It also encourages states to expand Medicaid under the ACA by making the federal government pay for new recipients. Millions of people can save hundreds of dollars on health care costs once the law goes into effect.
Psaki told reporters on Tuesday that many Americans will receive their stimulus vouchers by the end of the month and that they will not bear Mr Biden’s signature. Former President Donald Trump had his name printed on aid checks during previous rounds of aid.
Democrats have heralded the economic aid package as one that provides a much-needed lifeline to families hardest hit by the pandemic. But Republicans in both chambers have criticized the measure for its $ 1.9 trillion price tag and scope, as well as Democrats’ decision to push the plan through Congress without GOP backing.
A version of the president’s contingency plan was passed by the House last week, but the Senate amended the package, approving it in a 50-49 party vote. The lower house voted on the measure amended by the Senate on Wednesday.
Changes to the Senate-amended measure include lowering unemployment insurance benefits from $ 400 a week to $ 300 a week, but extending it until September 6 instead of ending the additional aid in August. It also made the first $ 10,200 in unemployment benefits non-taxable to households earning less than $ 150,000.
The bill amended by the Senate also limited suitability for direct controls. These compromises were negotiated to satisfy moderate Senate Democrats, most notably Senator Joe Manchin. Since Democrats hold a 50-seat majority in the Senate, they need the support of all 50 Democrats to pass controversial legislation, meaning members like Manchin need to be reassured to pass bills.
Lawmakers used a process known as budget reconciliation to pass the contingency plan through both houses, allowing it to pass the Senate with just a simple majority and without relying on Republican backing. But the package had to adhere to certain rules for the reconciliation process, which resulted in a $ 15 minimum wage hike being dropped from the original proposal passed in the House of Representatives.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who consults with the Democrats, tabled an amendment to the latest bill, raising the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour by 2025, but failed with a vote of 42-58.